Beneath the Water, In the Waves
by Apalla
Summary: AU. Arthur Kirkland is a young merman who swims to the warmer waters of Florida to mate, but he's soon mistaken for an injured human, and taken into the care of Alfred F. Jones, who he may have feelings for. First fanfic. USUK, Franada, GerIta
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing…except this AU idea. Anyway, let's move on.

Chapter 1

It was almost time. He was sure of it. It was in the air whenever he went up to greet the morning seagulls and pelicans; the hermit crabs whispered it to him whenever he went to the tide pools with his eldest brother, Calder. It was what the mothers told their youngest ones about each year, when the eldest, unmated child of the family set off to warmer waters for the summer.

And now, _finally_, it was his turn. It was only the logic of his kind. With Calder's first eggs preparing to hatch, and the others already mated—but not father's yet—it was only logical that he go out and find a beautiful mermaid to be with; to find the perfect female to bare his "guppies". And like his brothers and father before him, he wouldn't accept anything less than perfection.

His beautiful mother, Lydelle—whose very image in the moonlight had been enough to lull him to sleep at a young age—was a _perfect_ inspiration of what he and his brothers all wanted in mates: beautiful, kind but stern, intelligent, and with a voice _so_ gorgeous, it could melt an angel's heart.

And now, here he was with his frenemy Francis Bennefoy—and all the other young, unmated merfolk—as they each waited for the eldest mated child of their families. It was tradition for the eldest mated child in the family to come escort the sibling that was to be mated to the warmer waters. If the oldest child had eggs, then the grandparents would watch them while they were away.

Arthur Kirkland swished his tail back and forth, bored with waiting for Calder. Beside him, Francis' older brother, Gaul Bennefoy, was already with him. Arthur had no doubt that _the_ _second_ the mating rituals began, Francis would do everything in his power to entice and impress the prettiest girl around, which happened to be Natalia Arlovskaya. While he himself found Natalia to be very pretty, he knew she was completely insane, so he'd promised himself he wouldn't even try to impress her.

Mermen attracted mates by being romantic, like male humans—however, a mermaid's idea of romantic was a bit different than a human's idea of romantic. To a mermaid, being romantic was a merman bringing her the most beautiful seashells he could find, and either making sweet music with them, or crafting her lovely jewelry out of them; romantic was using enchanted hand mirrors to light pretty undersea caves for a nice dinner; romantic was convincing a school of fish to spell out her name on the soft sands of the seafloor; and, if the merman were lucky, or looking hard enough, romantic was a merman bringing her a boxful of precious jewels, or something gold, from a sunken ship. That was a mermaid's idea of romantic.

Arthur sighed irritably. He'd had enough. "Francis, may I borrow your mirror?" he asked, worried that something may've happened to Calder. His brother did have a habit of teasing the local hammerheads and great whites…

"Of course, _mon ami_," Francis replied with a smile, pulling a clear, crystal-glass mirror—decorated with pearls and beautiful shells—out of the bag slung across his torso. Francis was considered to be very handsome by a great deal of mermaids, stretching all the way from the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. He had wavy, shiny, shoulder-length blonde hair, and crystalline blue eyes that shone with "romance", as he put it. (Arthur liked to think they shone with rape.) His skin was creamy and pale, and his tale was red, but when put in the sunlight, it gave off a luminous blue glow. He had slight chin stubble, and a prominent French accent. He had a thing for giving people flowers that grew underwater, like sea lilies, a special kind of flower that only blooms if completely submerged in saltwater. (Humans know nothing about it, because not only is it a saltwater only plant, but it only grows in the deepest parts of the oceans, where no light reaches. And even if a human tried to bring one to the surface, no matter how, it was burst the second it was out of saltwater.)

Anyway, back to the mirror. If a human were to see Francis—or any merman—with this mirror, they'd think themselves crazy—for seeing the merman in the first place—or think the merman crazy—for owning such a "girly" mirror—but this kind of mirror was typically what all merfolk carried. With just a few simple words, a mermaid/merman can see a fellow mermaid/merman who swims below, or walks above.

And that's what Arthur planned to do.

"Mirror, as I speak to you," he began, watching as its crystalline glass began to glow, "show me my brother, who swims in the blue."

A moment later, an image of his brother—flaming, spiky red hair, creamy pale skin, emerald-green eyes just like his own, a proud and devious smirk on his face, and his shimmering blue-green tail—came into view. He was swimming upward, and rather quickly, from the look of how swiftly his tail was moving. Seconds later, the image disappeared, and just as Arthur was beginning to fear the worst, (his brother may've been a jackass, but he was still his brother!), Calder's head broke the surface, and he swam toward Arthur.

"Mornin', brother!" he greeted, giving Arthur a not-so-playful punch on the shoulder. Arthur glared at him and rubbed his shoulder.

"Yes…good morning, Calder," he replied curtly, mentally noting to tell his future bride and children to stay away from Calder…and _all_ of his older brothers, for that matter.

"Everybody's here, _oui_?" Gaul called out to the others. Once he'd done a quick headcount, he called out, "We've got until September, and it's the end of May, so let's get going!"

With gleeful cheers—from both the mated and the unmated—the merfolk set out on their journey to warmer waters.

And, for the unmated, new lives.

A/N: This is actually kind of a rewrite. I had to delete the original because of a few technical difficulties, but everything should be fine now…I hope. Anyways, I got this idea while sitting in the middle of my first-period class, and I just started writing stuff down. So…yeah… Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So, got yer eye on any of the ladies, lil' bro?" Calder asked, studying his younger brother, that devious glint in his emerald eyes.

Arthur looked up from the clams his brother had caught for him, which he'd been prying open.

The merfolk were lounging on the rocky shores of an island just off the coast of Florida, called Salvation. He and the other merfolk were hiding in the tide pools, eating dinner. To merfolk, dinner is fish, small crabs—like hermit crabs—barnacles, oysters, clams, mussels, etc. And as they sat there, they were all preparing for the mating rituals tomorrow; both physically and mentally.

Up until just a few hours ago, they'd been swimming for three days straight, and they were all exhausted. They'd swam from the English Channel to the warmer waters near the Bahamas. Arthur was willing to admit that he already liked it here; honestly, he did! It was so warm, a far cry from the freezing waters around England and Ireland.

Maybe his new bride would like to stay here with him; they could live anywhere! On this island, maybe a reef somewhere, or in a bay; a lake, possibly a river; a waterfall, a fountain, a brook, these tide pools, even a well would suffice! Just so long as he could stay in the warmth of this place.

"What about Natalia?" Calder offered, smirking as always. He pointed to a mermaid who was sitting with her mated older brother, Ivan.

Natalia had dark blonde, straight hair that fell to her waist. There were white pearls braided into it, as there were pearls in the hair of most mermaids, because it was a sign of youth and beauty. (Elder mermaid had shells and jewels laced into their hair, as it was a sign of age and wisdom, something very precious to merfolk.)

Natalia's seashell, bra-like top was woven together using strong, reddish-purple seaweed, and her tail was purple, but gave off a silvery glow in the moonlight overhead. Her eyes were blue like the waters she lived in, and her face looked so serious, it could be counted as slightly annoyed. She was also, of course, crazy in the head, but it seemed that a young merman named Toris liked her anyway, since he was trying to scoot closer to her.

"Calder, she's insane!" Arthur whisper-shouted, not wanting Natalia, Ivan, or Toris to hear him.

Calder threw his head back and laughed wildly, as always. Arthur blushed as eyes turned on them, and he looked away. Why did his brothers—_especially Calder_—always have to humiliate him? What did he ever do to _them_? _Be born?_

"Bloody stupid _wanker_," he muttered angrily under his breath, tossing the now-empty clam shell away. Without another word, he dove beneath the waves and swam as fast as he could, trying to get some peace of mind for the night. He'd return while they all slept…

After all, it was about nine at night.

Looking for a little entertainment, and since humans were unknowingly perfect in that category, he swam to the beach, where he hid behind a rock until the coast was clear. (He did see a hilarious fight between a couple that'd apparently been going out for five years, though. Something about the girl wanting the guy to "propose already", and the guy "not being ready for monogamy"…)

After they'd left, he pulled himself up onto the soft sand, waiting for his upper body to dry so he could take on his temporary human form.

Arthur had been told by many merfolk that he was handsome. He was lithe, pale, and his eyes were as green as the emerald treasures lost in sunken pirate ships. His hair was spiky and golden-blonde, and fell over his eyes sometimes, which just made people want to look at him more. His tail was green, but it gave off both a golden and silvery glow in light, no matter what kind. His eyebrows were his only flaw, really; they were big and bushy, but he blamed his father for that. His mother, and others, had assured him on several occasions that they just made him cuter, but he wasn't so sure.

Once his upper body was dry—which actually only took three minutes to happen—he could feel his gills sink into his neck and become flesh; he could feel his scales dry and become soft skin as his tail painlessly spilt and became legs and feet. Soon, he was lying in the sand, naked, getting a sense on how it felt to be human, if only for a little while. The soft sand, the lukewarm wind, the faint sound of seagulls in the background…it all relaxed him so, and he closed his eyes, relaxed his muscles, and leaned his head back with a relieved sigh.

However, his relaxing moment was ruined by someone shouting; actually, two people shouting.

"Why did I leave my camera at home tonight?"

"Oh, God, Mattie! Look away!"

Shocked and afraid for his life, Arthur tried to get up to run back into the sea, but he just collapsed right back down into the sand. Terrified, he looked up to see three human boys—who could be no more than teenagers—approaching him. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't walked amongst humans since he was twelve, and he was eighteen now! As he'd realized he'd had no other choice, Arthur began to pile on layers of sand, covering anything humans considered to be taboo. By the time the three boys reached him, he was basically buried in the sand—from the waist down, that is.

"Dude!" one of the boys exclaimed rather loudly and obnoxiously in his ear. Arthur winced and glared at the boy, but he continued to speak, obviously not caring about Arthur's ruptured eardrums.

"Why are you naked on Lily Road Beach? You know there're laws against that, right?" The obnoxious human laughed, and then smiled at him brightly.

If Arthur had still had his tail, he was sure he would've slapped the obnoxious human with it by now. Not the other two, though, unless they tried to hurt him…

"Al!" The boy that the obnoxious human was holding—with a hand over his eyes, by the way—managed to struggle away and glare at him. Arthur couldn't help but notice that there were very few differences between "Al" and the one that struggled away.

The one called Al was tall, with short, messy golden brown hair that not only fell over his forehead, but had a cowlick. His skin was flawless, tan, and soft-looking; he was slender, but muscular as well, and he had eyes as bright, blue, shiny, and free as the ocean Arthur lived in. His smile was bright, like the stars, and he wore American flag swim trunks, a white T-shirt, and glasses.

The short, dark-haired one—that, as the other two argued, Arthur learned was named Kiku—was pale and slender. His black hair was short and evenly cut over his forehead, and his eyes were huge and dark brown. He was shirtless, with a plastic bag full of sea salt-soaked clothes. On the lower half of him, he wore white trunks with red Japanese writing going up the sides.

The last one—"Mattie", it seemed—looked almost exactly like Al, though there were a few differences. Mattie's hair was paler, longer, and wavier, and there was a single curl protruding from it. He was also paler in skin, too, and his voice was softer and nicer. But he was blonde, like Al, strong and slender like Al, and wore glasses and had blue eyes like Al. He wore white swim trunks with small red maple leaves on them and a red tank top.

"Dude, did you, like, come from the sea? Are you a pirate?" Al asked eagerly, his blue eyes sparkling at the idea.

Arthur glared at him, wanting to snap at him for mentioning pirates to him. Pirates had been terrible humans who had tried to kidnap many of his kind in their time. (It had been a relief to Arthur's people when their Siren cousins finally intervened.)

"Don't be ridiculous, Alfred," Kiku said, kneeling beside Arthur's sand-covered figure. "He's obviously someone who got washed ashore. Let's get this sand off of him and take him to Dr. Beilschmidt."

Alfred nodded, and he and Matthew bent down to begin pulling the sand off of the panicking merman, who struggled now more than ever.

Arthur, eyes wide and heart thundering in his slim chest, noticed that the one called Alfred was digging near his… Oh, what did humans call it? (Merfolk just called it a tentacle, though he was pretty sure that _wasn't_ a tentacle…)

Pendris? No…

Alfred kept digging, unaware of Arthur's fear…

Penris? No…

Digging deeper now…

Penis? Oh, that was it! It was called a—

"No!" Arthur covered himself with a nearby conch shell. "I won't let you see my penis, you gits!"

All three boys froze. (Arthur was pretty much free of sand anyway.) They were all blushing, but Alfred's face was undoubtedly the worst.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I, once again, own absolutely nothing. I forgot to do this last chapter, so I'm doing it now!

Chapter 3

Calder was getting wor—er…_annoyed_. (Yeah, that's it.)

"Where's me idiot wee brother?" he growled as the others wrapped themselves in seaweed for the night. Merfolk could sleep just fine underwater, (their body temperatures changed depending on the temperature of the water they slept in,) but during, or before, such special occasions—like the ones that would take place tomorrow—they liked to sleep the way otters did: staying afloat on the surface by wrapping themselves in seaweed.

Calder's piercing green eyes shot over to a mermaid named Elizabeta Hedevary, who was lying by her older brother, Hun.

Elizabeta had slightly tanned skin, and long, flowing dark brown hair that fell a little passed her shoulder blades. Her eyes were peridot-green, and she was almost always smiling, or at least she was whenever Calder saw her. There were two little hermit crab shells in her hair, holding it behind her ear, and she seemed to be unbelievably protective of the young merman Feliciano Vargas, who was huddled close to her. Her tail was green, and the scales gleamed a delicate pinkish-yellow when hit by light. She wore a bra made of two large abalone shells held together by green seaweed, and a gold armband with peridots in it was wrapped around her right bicep. Green pearls—known only to merfolk—were laced into her hair, along with a gold headband.

As he looked at her, Calder felt his mind spin slightly out of control. Had Elizabeta kidnapped Arthur for her games of "House"? (Which she liked to make her friends Roderich and Gilbert play.)

"Hey, Calder, where's your _petit frère_?" Calder heard Francis ask as he appeared below him. (Calder was sitting on a rock, and Francis was in the sea.) Francis wrapped a piece of seaweed around his midriff and then looked up at him again.

Calder glared at Francis. If there was one thing he and Arthur could agree on, it was that the Bennefoy family was just downright _annoying_.

Despite the green glare, Francis continued. "Did he realize he'd never find love and throw himself into a whirlpool? Hon hon hon hon…"

As Francis continued to taunt him, though, Calder got an idea. "Oi, French boy!" he snapped, causing Francis to glare up at him and rear back a little. "Gimme yer mirror." He held out his hand impatiently.

Francis pretended to look hurt and frightened by the eldest Kirkland brother as he swam over to where he'd placed his bag. But when he returned, he was leering, his face sculpted into the classic "Bennefoy Rape Face".

Calder, however, didn't notice as he snatched the enchanted, handheld mirror from the French merman. He did notice, though, when Francis began to pull on his tail, trying to get him into the water.

"Hon hon hon…"

"Let me go, ya filthy creature!" With a powerful swing of his tail, Calder sent Francis flying back to Gaul, who laughed his gills off as his younger brother landed with a _splash_ beside him.

Sighing, Calder turned to the mirror and spoke. "Mirror, as I speak to you," he said slowly, all seriousness. "Reveal me brother, who swims in the blue."

The mirror glowed, but showed him his other three brothers: Braeden and his twin Aiden, and their younger brother, William. No Arthur.

"This can only mean…" Calder trailed off, eyes wide. No, that couldn't be… Arthur may've been young, but he wasn't stupid enough to get captured by humans or go up on land on _his_ _own_, was he? "No! Mirror that I hold in hand, reveal me brother, who walks on land."

The eldest of the Kirkland brothers watched, horrified and shocked, as the mirror showed him an image of Arthur, naked and human, in some grinning, blue-eyed stranger's arms. He wasn't entirely naked, actually, since he was wrapped in some kind of blanket or towel. (Also, he was yelling things like "wanker" and "git" at the stranger, but still…)

"Turn me loose this instant!" Arthur demanded, struggling in Alfred's arms. After they'd managed to get him on his feet and calm his struggling for a little while, Kiku had wrapped a blanket from his car around him. After that, Kiku and Matthew had gone home, leaving it up to Alfred to take Arthur to the local "hospital", whatever _that_ was…

"Dude, your accent is awesome!" Alfred said, smiling at him. Arthur had been struggling like this ever since Kiku and Matthew had left, and Alfred had begun carrying him—bridal style—to the hospital. Alfred had tried ignoring him, but when somebody punches your chin—even if by "accident"—do you really think you can ignore them anymore? No. So Alfred's last resort was to distract Arthur by talking to him.

It worked.

Arthur blinked and stopped ranting. He was both surprised and a little flattered that this human—this _American_ _human_—actually _liked_ his accent. He felt his cheeks heat up a little as he looked away.

Alfred laughed, glad his plan had worked. He carried Arthur through the hospital doors and into the Patient Check-In waiting room.

St. Beilschmidt's Hospital had been owned and run by the Beilschmidt family for over a hundred years. The current owner—and a doctor there as well—was Ludwig Beilschmidt, whose father used to babysit Alfred and his brother, so they were pretty close.

As they entered the room, Arthur noticed that it fell silent as eyes turned on him and Alfred. (Not that many eyes, though, since it was about ten-thirty at night, but still…) He expected Alfred to see the strange, somewhat disgusted and accusing looks around them, and drop Arthur right where he was before leaving.

But, to his surprise, Alfred didn't do that. Instead, he walked up to the receptionist's window, muttering a polite "Excuse me" every now and then.

The receptionist—a kind-looking woman with thick, curly dark brown hair that fell just passed her shoulders, and tanned skin—looked up at them. Her eyes were olive-green, and they filled with recognition when she saw Alfred. She wore a white-and-gold tunic, black slacks, and black high heels.

"Miss Karpusi," Alfred began, gesturing with Arthur, who grumbled at being shifted around so much. "My brother, Kiku, and I found this guy on the beach. Kiku says he was probably washed ashore after falling out of a boat or something."

"Oh, dear," Miss Karpusi said sympathetically, eyeing Arthur with concern. "Hold on one second." Miss Karpusi picked up the phone in front of her, pressed a button on it, and waited for a second or two. After a moment, she must've got a reply, because she said, "Yes, hello, Dr. Beilschmidt. Yes, I know you told me to only call your personal office if it was an emergency, but Alfred— Yes, Alfred F. Jones. Okay, I'll tell him. Thank you, Dr. Beilschmidt." She smiled as she hung up before turning to them. "He'll see you in his office on the second floor, room 3-D."

Alfred sighed, relieved. "Thanks, Miss Karpusi. Tell Heracles I said hey, all right?"

"Anytime, Alfred, anytime…"

Once they were alone in the elevator, Arthur looked up at Alfred. "What's a doctor?" he asked, completely serious. "Or at least, what do _humans_ consider a doctor to be?" To merfolk, a doctor was somebody who healed the sick or the injured. He just wanted to know if it was the same for humans, too.

Alfred looked confusedly stunned. "Uh… Dude, you must've hit your head pretty hard. But, lucky for you, I'm an awesome hero, so you've got the best doctor in Florida looking after ya."

Arthur's eyes narrowed and he fell silent as the elevator doors slid open to reveal a pristine, freshly cleaned hallway. It was filled with nurses, doctors, equipment, and visitors. Alfred ignored them all and made his way to the door at the end of the hallway.

The plaque over the door read:

LUDWIG BEILSCHMIDT: LICENSED M.D.

Arthur's heart began to pound. Sure, he'd been to the doctor before…for _his_ _own_ _kind_! Never a _human_ doctor! Who knows what the lunatic would do to him! He'd probably cut out his organs, or take pint after pint of his precious blood!

"No," he whimpered, struggling in Alfred's arms once more. "No!"

"Dude, calm down!" Alfred insisted, trying desperately to keep a good hold on the frantically struggling merman.

They stood there for a few minutes—Alfred trying to keep Arthur still, Arthur trying to get away—before the door flew open, making both boys freeze and look up.

A tall, muscular man stood in the doorway, looking at them with annoyance clear in his eyes. He had pale skin, and strong features. His eyes were ice-blue, and his hair was pale blonde, short, and combed back neatly. He wore a white button-down shirt, a black tie, black slacks, black shoes, and a white lab coat. In one hand, he held glasses, and the other was in the pocket of his lab coat. His face was serious, and he sighed.

"Well, I guess we'd better get this over with." He turned his back to them and walked into his large, overly-clean office. "Come in."

Because Arthur had been caught off guard, it was easy for Alfred to haul him inside, though he squirmed and protested the whole time. As they entered the office, Arthur saw all sorts of unfamiliar equipment. He didn't see any jellyfish, nor eels; no octopus ink, nor shark teeth. His heart sank.

Alfred had brought him to Hell.

A/N: For anyone wondering about the weird merfolk medical equipment, here's a translation:

Jellyfish/Eels—the merfolks' versions of defibrillators; you know, those things that shock people after someone says "Clear"?

Octopus ink—like a painkiller before treatment. It doesn't poison them, just knocks them out.

Shark teeth—like a scalpel, but because of the sharp tip, can also be used as a pen when dipped in octopus ink.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I've said this before, I'll say it again. I own nothing!

Chapter 4

After practically _two hours_ of wrestling with Arthur _just_ to keep him still for a _stethoscope_, Alfred and Ludwig finally managed to get him to calm down for the rest of the tests that Ludwig had to perform. By the time they were done, it was about one-fifteen in the morning, and all three of them were exhausted.

"Well," Ludwig began, wiping his slightly sweaty forehead with a clean cloth. "There doesn't appear to be anything _physically_ wrong with him, other than slight dehydration. Just make him drink a couple extra glasses of water per day and he should be fine by next Friday."

Alfred had caught the way Ludwig had stressed the word "physically", though, and his brow furrowed. "So, is there something mentally wrong with him? Like a learning disability or something?"

Arthur glared up at him, hating the way Alfred was talking about him like he wasn't even there.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," the German doctor said. "It's just, I feel that whatever happened to him may have left him a little delusional, since he kept asking for octopus ink as a painkiller."

"But he'll be normal again soon, right?" Alfred sounded anxious, and if Arthur hadn't been so smart, he also would've sworn that Alfred sounded _caring_, even.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Just remember: extra water everyday, be gentle with your words and actions. He could have a panic attack from too much stress."

"Got it! Thanks, German dude!" Alfred laughed and hauled Arthur back up into his arms, running out of the room. The last thing from that office that either Arthur or Alfred could hear was Ludwig shouting at them in German, which caused Arthur to groan in despair, and Alfred to laugh again.

Later, at Alfred's house…

Matthew was sleeping peacefully in his bed, holding onto his pillow, pretending it was the baby polar bear toy he used to have when he was young. (Before Alfred lost it at the park, that is…)

As he dreamed about maple syrup rivers, maple trees, and pancake mountains, he was rudely awakened by an almost violent pounding on the front door of Alfred's house.

Alfred was on Salvation to study marine biology at the University of Salvation, whereas Matthew was studying art and history in France, but his school was taking a brake because a part of the boys' dormitory had exploded. Some idiots had been messing around with some fireworks, and…it hadn't exactly gone well…

"Mattie! Mattie! Open the door! Mattie! C'mon lil' bro, open the door! Please? I forgot my—"

"Alfred, shut up!" both Matthew and Arthur cried as Matthew threw open the door and glared at his older-by-five-minutes brother.

Alfred smiled sheepishly and stepped into the house, listening to both his brother and Arthur huff in annoyance. Matthew flicked on the lights, then filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove, heating it up.

As he turned back to Alfred and Arthur, Matthew saw that Alfred was still carrying Arthur bridal style. Confused, he spoke up. "Uh…Al?"

"Hmm? Yeah, Mattie?"

"Why are you still carrying him around like that? Can't he walk?" Matthew crossed his arms as his brother looked away sheepishly. "You haven't let him _try_, have you?"

"I was getting to it!" Alfred said defensively, setting Arthur gently on his feet. "Besides, Mattie, that's how awesome heroes, like me, carry people!"

As Arthur felt his feet touch the ground for the first time since he was twelve, he grasped onto Alfred's T-shirt, whimpering as his newly-grown legs struggled to hold him up. They trembled as he moved them about a little bit, trying not to twist or sprain anything, as he'd seen humans do from afar. After a few moments, he learned not to try to move them at the same time, but to move them individually.

Still holding onto Alfred's shirt, he stepped his left leg—which was now trembling far less, but still trembling, like the right—outward, in front of him, and then retracted it. Then he did the same thing with the right one, smiling proudly when he saw that they were able to support him well enough. (Or so he thought.)

"I can do this," he said arrogantly, releasing the American's shirt. When he stood proudly on his own two feet, making sure he had his balance, he went to take a step forward—only to fall flat on his face.

Well, almost fall flat on his face.

Arthur yelped, but was grateful when Alfred caught him around the waist and hauled him back into a standing position, though he found his cheek pressed gently against Alfred's warm chest. He'd been too busy being terrified earlier to even realize that Alfred's skin was as warm as the waters around the island, and he thoughtlessly snuggled a bit closer to Alfred, sighing softly and contentedly.

An awkward silence fell over the Jones-Williams brothers as Arthur curled a bit closer, loving how warm Alfred was. The brothers glanced at each other before Matthew cleared his throat and reached for Arthur, attempting to pull the merman away from his brother.

Arthur's eyes shot open and as he realized what he was doing, he immediately scurried away from Alfred, his face as red as Francis's tail. "Y-You're too warm!" he stuttered, flustered. He remembered, as Matthew and Alfred looked at him, that he was still dressed only in a blanket—that fell to his knees—and a conch shell, which he kept pressed tightly between his legs, but not enough to break it.

The brothers glanced at each other, confused, but a little embarrassed, too. They were embarrassed because when Arthur remembered his attire—or lack thereof—they had as well.

Without another word, Matthew went into the kitchen to make them all some hot chocolate while Alfred helped Arthur walk for the first time in six years. Of course, Alfred didn't _know_ it was the first time in six years, but that part didn't matter. It only took about an hour for Arthur to get it down, and then he was walking and running just as easily as his human companions could.

"So, what did Dr. Beilschmidt say?" Matthew whispered as he watched Arthur examine his new surroundings.

Alfred had gotten a full scholarship to the University of Salvation—God knows how—but their parents had already given him _over_ two hundred-thousand dollars, so he'd spent it on a nice, quiet little two-story house not ten miles from the beach.

Alfred shrugged, watching Arthur study—almost sadly, or reminiscently—a painting of a mermaid sitting on a rock in the sea, holding a merbaby to her chest and cooing to it. He could've sworn he saw a tear roll down Arthur's cheek before Matthew brought his attention back to the original question.

"What? Sorry, Mattie, I wasn't listening." He smiled sheepishly, looking at his brother, his blue eyes pleading with Matt to forgive him.

Matthew sighed and shook his head. "Of course you weren't… I asked you what Dr. Beilschmidt said, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" Alfred laughed. "Sorry, Mattie. Well, after we managed to calm him down, Ludwig ran some tests…?"

"And…?" Matthew prompted.

"Well, he's a little dehydrated," Alfred began, speaking softly so as to not frighten or alert Arthur. "So we have to give him a little extra water everyday. Oh, and he's also a little delusional from whatever happened, since he kept asking Ludwig for octopus ink as a painkiller."

"Octopus ink?"

"Yeah…"

The next day…

Francis was worried. He, unlike Calder, could admit something like that. He'd awoken early that morning, before sunrise or anyone else, so he could swim with some nearby dolphins and gather the finest shells and assorted corals for his soon-to-be mate, whoever she was. (After watching Natalia snap a crab in half with her own two hands for dinner, he'd decided that Toris could have her.)

But, as he'd been removing the seaweed from his skin, he'd looked over at where Calder was, only to find Arthur still not there. He'd brushed it off, assuming that Arthur had gotten up earlier than him and gone searching for precious items as well. But he hadn't seen Arthur in the sea, and he hadn't been there when Francis had returned…

"Oh, _cher Poseidon_, this is not good," he now whispered to himself as the sun began to slowly breach the horizon, turning the clouds pink and gold. The warm summer breeze blew his golden hair out of his face as he looked to the shore. Could Arthur have gone to the human world? And at such an _important_ _time_, too? No. No! It couldn't've been…

"Well, I suppose there's no harm in taking a quick peek," Francis whispered to himself as he swam to the shore. He crawled onto the sand and as his body quickly dried, he stood up, naked.

Unlike Arthur, Francis went ashore often, as he liked to see what wonders the human world held. He'd seen humans talk into strange devices pressed to their ears, give each other a strange, yet beautiful flower called a rose, and he'd even gotten to taste some human food, too! But, as he'd quickly learned his first time on land, humans didn't take to kindly to young men walking around butt-naked, so it was of the utmost importance that he find some clothes, and soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the AU idea.

Chapter 5

Two weeks. He'd been trapped in this stupid house for _two weeks_! Arthur ground his teeth and sighed. He was missing precious mating opportunities! But every time he asked Matthew or Alfred to take him to the beach or let him go home they both answered in their own distinct way, but Arthur knew what they both meant.

Matthew would say, rather shyly or comfortingly as well, "Sorry, Alfred, but we don't want anything to happen to you. I mean, you won't even tell us where your home is, or if you have family. You just keep saying, 'The sea! The sea!' Al and I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Alfred would say, in a very exasperated or confused tone, "No way, dude! You think I'm just gonna let you waltz right back into disaster? Hell no! I'm a hero, and heroes don't do that!"

And then Arthur would growl, groan, or sigh before leaving the room, because, in other words, they were both saying no.

However, he had to admit that he was a little grateful to the brothers for taking him into their home when he probably could've been found by others, who might've harmed him in any or every way possible.

But that didn't get them off the hook for taking him away from everything he'd ever known, even if they had good intentions at the time.

His little dehydration problem had been solved when Alfred and Matthew had not only taught him how to use the sinks in the house, but also how to use the showers.

Now, Arthur could get used to this part of the human world, he could, but… Arthur's body, soul, and mind longed for the sea. He wanted to run from the house, down to the beach, and tear off his clothes, not caring who saw. He wanted to jump into the warm saltwater and feel the flesh in his neck morph into familiar gills; he wanted to feel the soft skin of his legs turn to his shiny, smooth scales; he wanted his two legs to turn back into his gleaming tail as he writhed happily in the water be-fore swimming off to find not only his brother, but his new mate as well.

But it didn't matter what he wanted. He was watched every second of the day, by either Matthew Williams, or Alfred F. Jones. Matthew didn't leave the house until Alfred got home from school, so if he did leave, Alfred could watch him, and Matthew watched Arthur while Alfred was at school. Needless to say, Arthur felt a little like a dog. (And he couldn't escape through the windows, because he was too weak to lift them, since he'd never had to do it before.)

Arthur sighed as he shuffled away from Matthew, who had just refused to take him to the beach for the tenth time today. He glanced at himself in the full-body mirror in the hallway to the bathroom, pausing to actually _look_ at himself as a human for the first time since he became human.

Many humans claimed that merfolk were vain creatures who found great delight in seeing their own reflections, but it simply wasn't true! It was the humans who were obsessed with the beauty of his kind! Why would a mermaid or merman look at _themselves_ when they could see the natural beauty of the ocean around them?

Arthur looked at his messy, golden-blonde hair, his emerald-green eyes, his flawless pale skin, and his lithe form. He would admit, he was lovely, but his damn _eyebrows_ took the spotlight away from his _good_ features.

"Matthew!" he called as he opened the door to the large, pristine, white-and-blue bathroom. The floor was made of polished white-and-blue checked tiles, as were the walls. There were two shiny chrome towel racks side-by-side on the wall, with a huge, spotless mirror hanging over a porcelain sink. A large, white, porcelain claw-footed bathtub sat in the middle of the room, with a soft blue rug underneath it. Arthur grabbed some towels and a robe Alfred had bought for him from the cupboard beside the bathroom door and began to strip, tossing the discarded clothes—also bought by Alfred—into a nearby clothes hamper.

"Yeah, Arthur?" Matthew called from the kitchen, pouring maple syrup into his coffee.

"I'll be in the bath if you need me!"

"Okay!"

Arthur closed the door and began to run the warm water, popping open a bottle filled with vanilla-scented bubble bath. Once the tub was full, Arthur turned off the water and stepped gingerly into the warm, bubbly tub, letting out a relieved sigh as his skin tingled at the familiar feeling of water touching his lower half.

Once a mermaid or merman turned into a human, if they got any part of their lower body wet, they would turn back into their true form, as what was happening to Arthur now. He sank into the water, sighing happily as his gills returned, along with his scales and tail. He gently lifted the end of his shiny green tail—about a foot-and-a-half—out of the water and leaned down so his gills were in the water.

Arthur, however, didn't know he'd been in there for almost an hour, so he was surprise when he heard a knock on the door and Matthew soft voice calling out to him.

"Arthur, you've been in there for awhile," Matthew said as he knocked on the bathroom door. He heard a faint splash, but it didn't sound like something a human could make; it sounded more like a fish… "Are you—"

Matthew stopped right where he was as he opened the bathroom door and looked at Arthur. Except, maybe it wasn't Arthur. But it looked like him…from the waist up.

"Wait, Matthew, I can explain!" However, as Arthur saw the Canadian's face get even paler than it already was, his heart fell. "Oh, bloody hell… You're not going to pass out, are you?"

But Arthur could do nothing but watch as Matthew sputtered out nonsense, gasped for breath, and then, after a long moment of just _staring_ at him, promptly passed out from complete and utter shock.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, except the idea for the story.**

Chapter 6

Francis wasn't the only one worried about Arthur anymore. Not only had Calder finally admitted to be scared for his brother's life, but also all the other merfolk who'd come with them were now worried, except for maybe Natalia, Ivan, and Gilbert, but that wasn't surprising to anyone.

They had even put off the mating ceremonies while everyone searched for Arthur, but not that any of them really minded. To merfolk, _finding_ a life was a little more important than _creating_ a life. The mermen—Calder, Gilbert, Roderich, Ivan, Lovino, Feliciano, Gaul, Abel, Vash, Hun, and Toris—were sent to search the seas while Francis and the girls—Elizabeta, Bella, Natalia, Lili, Irunya, and the others—searched the shores.

Now, Francis found himself walking along the beach with Elizabeta—who was barefoot and dressed in a yellow sundress—as they continued to search for Arthur.

"Oh, Poseidon," Elizabeta whispered sadly as the sun began to set. "Francis, what if he's…dead?"

Francis rarely got angry at anybody but Arthur, especially if they were a girl, but hearing Elizabeta's words made him hiss. "Don't even _joke_ about that, Elizabeta! Arthur _cannot_ be dead! We'll find him! I swear to Poseidon himself, we will!"

Elizabeta looked confused. "But, Francis, you and Arthur are always fighting, and—"

"Vee~!" a happy voice interrupted her, getting closer. "Francis! Elizabeta! Look, I found you!" Feliciano Vargas, a kind, but slightly dimwitted merman, came running up to them, dressed in a light purple shirt and black boxers. "Isn't the human world pretty? I've seen so many of those adorable little things called cats and dogs! Oh, and look at all the lovely shells I found!" Feli lifted up a plastic bag filled with at least forty shells, all of which clanked together at being rustled around.

"Oh, Feli, that's so good!" Elizabeta said as she peered into the bag, looking at all the beautiful, uniquely colored shells. "They're lovely!"

"Here!" Feliciano picked out one of the prettiest ones he had and thrust it into Elizabeta's hands. "This one's for you! It's small enough to be a piece of jewelry, right?"

Elizabeta blushed and said, "Feli, that's sweet of you, but I've got my eyes on someone else."

"Oh?" Francis looked away from the waves and smiled. "And what _chanceux_ is that, Elizabeta?"

"None of your business, Francis!" Elizabeta snapped as she ran for the water. Her yellow sundress hit the sand and she dove in, her mermaid self appearing moments later before diving down below again.

"It's Roderich," Francis said decisively. "They've been head over heels for each other for as long as I can remember." He patted Feliciano on the back. "Sorry she rejected you, Feli, but don't worry; you'll find _amour_!"

Feliciano looked up at Francis, confused. "I wasn't asking for her to be my mate. I was just giving her a pretty shell!"

Feliciano had slightly tanned skin, and a lithe body. His eyes were a golden-amber color, and they shone brightly when he was happy. He was short, with messy ginger-brunette hair that had a single curl sticking up from it. When he had a tail, it was orange, and gave off golden glimmers in the sun.

Francis sighed, ignoring Feli. "I guess we'd better continue searching tomorrow. I don't want to miss dinner, especially if it's my turn to catch it tonight."

**Meanwhile…**

"Please don't be dead!" Arthur gasped as he stared at the unconscious Canadian boy.

Mattie had collapsed about ten minutes ago, and during the time that he was out cold, Arthur had climbed out of the tub, quickly dried off, turned human again, and wrapped himself in the robe he'd brought with him.

Now he was kneeling at Matthew side, terrified. What if seeing his true form had caused the poor boy to die? What would he tell Alfred?

"_Oh, by the way, your brother saw me in my merman form and died. So, would you like a scone or another one of your disgustingly greasy hamburgers?"_

Oh, like that'd work!

"Matthew, please wake up!" he begged, shaking the boy's shoulders, tears forming in his eyes. Arthur rarely cried, but when he did, he created tsunamis. Arthur pulled Matthew's hair, slapped him lightly across the face… Nothing.

However, as he was about to go find a way to call Alfred and tell him what'd happened, he thought of something else. Not wasting a second, Arthur pulled of the robe and got his legs wet. A second later, his gills and his tail were back. He jumped back into the tub and splashed Matthew's face with a generous amount of water, then slapped him with his tail once or twice.

Matthew sputtered and slowly opened his eyes, feeling his stinging cheek as he sat up. "What…happened?" he said in a hoarse voice, his eyes widening when he saw Arthur again. "Arthur—!"

"I swear, if you pass out, I'm drowning you in this tub, boy!" Arthur snapped, though he wasn't even older than Matthew.

"Sorry!" Matthew got to his feet slowly, staring in awe at Arthur. The bubbles from earlier had cleared, leaving every inch of Arthur's half-fish body to be seen in the crystal-clear bathwater. "So, is this a dream?"

Arthur glared at him and huffed out in annoyance, "Did me slapping you with my bloody tail seem like a dream, Matthew?"

"Uh…no."

"Then it's not a dream!"

Matthew stood there for a few minutes before running out of the room, only to return a second later. It was one-thirty, and Alfred's classes for the day would be out at two-fifteen. He could make this work.

"Arthur, you're a merman, right? Not a Siren?"

"I'm not a Siren, otherwise you and your arse of a brother would be dead by now."

Matthew sat in front of the tub, intrigued. "So, you're not actually from Britain?"

"I was born and raised in the English Channel, so yes, I'm from Britain, or at least around there."

"Then why are you here in Salvation?"

"I'm here for…" Arthur suddenly realized that Matthew could be tricking him into revealing precious secrets about his kind, secrets that could be used against them by the government or something!

"Arthur?" Matthew watched Arthur's face twist up into a worried, angry expression. "Are you okay?"

"You're trying to use me! You're going to tell everything to your precious government, aren't you?"

"What? No!"

Arthur glared at him. "Do you promise not to reveal anything I'm about to tell you to anyone?"

"I swear!" Matthew put his left hand on his heart and held up the other.

"All right…" Arthur took a deep breath, prepared to bestow his kind's secrets upon Matthew.

"I and some others of my kind are here to mate. Every year, the eldest, _mated_ child of the family escorts the eldest, _unmated_ child of the family to warmer waters so they can find a mate. The eldest of my family is my brother, Calder. He brought me here, along with others and their siblings. He has a mate back home, and eggs that are preparing to hatch.

I've only got until the beginning of September to find a mate before the weather either starts to cool or becomes unbearably hot, then I must return to the English Channel, with a mate or otherwise. That's why I'm here."

"So, is that why you came ashore?" Matthew asked, remembering when he, Kiku, and Alfred had found a naked Arthur on the shores of Lily Road Beach. "To mate?"

"No! I came ashore because my brother kept taunting me, and I would've gone back and been wooing a mermaid by now if it weren't for you, Kiku, and that git Alfred!" Arthur pouted and crossed his arms, trying to act upset, but Matthew swore he saw Arthur blush when the merman mentioned Alfred.

"Arthur…is there something else that's bothering you?" Mattie asked, smiling knowingly. "Something about Alfred?"

Arthur looked away as the Canadian mentioned his flawless American brother. Alfred's image—dirty blonde hair, sweet smile, vibrant blue eyes, and perfect chest, arms, and shoulders—flooded his mind, and he felt a heat and a strong need fill his body. Why is that whenever he was around Alfred or thought of Alfred that Arthur suddenly wanted to drop everything and make the American human happy? Why did he make Arthur want to do anything in the _world_ to keep him safe?

He just didn't understand…

"I…don't know about your brother. There's something about him that makes me think I could do anything, as long as it was for him. Whenever he's near me, all I want to do is hold onto him and never let go. I always feel a little upset when he leaves for school in the mornings, too…" He looked down at the happy Canadian. "Matthew…what's _wrong_ with me?"

"Arthur…" Matthew made sure Arthur was listening before he said, very slowly, calmly, and precisely, "I think you want to mate with my brother."

This time, Arthur looked as if _he_ may faint.

"You think I _what_? Matthew, that's insane! You've gone 'round the bend! You've—"

"Arthur, think about it!" Matthew interrupted, smiling gently. "I mean, what you're describing sounds an awful lot like love to me. And I've been to France, so trust me: I know what love is like."

Arthur thought over what Matthew had said, and thought over everything he'd felt toward Alfred since meeting the American. Oh, yes, Matthew was right.

Arthur _did_ want to mate with Alfred.

"But I don't have any seashells! No gems, no abalone, no gold or silver! I can't summon fish to land to spell out his name in the sands without killing them! I can't—"

"Arthur!" Matthew grabbed the British merman and shook him a little so he'd pay attention. "Arthur, before you freak out over what kind of seashells will create the perfect engagement ring for my brother, I think you should focus on telling him what's going on with you."

Arthur stared at him, confused. What was an engagement ring? And what _problem_? There was nothing wrong with him. "What are you talking about, you twit?"

"Arthur, you're a merman, in case you haven't noticed, and that is something that you've neglected to tell Alfred. So, until you've told him _that_, you might want to hold off on getting him into bed, because I don't think he'd like it if he tried to take you for a little romantic swim, and your _tail_ popped out."

Arthur nodded and glanced at his tail. He'd _finally_ found his mate, and now his shiny, smooth scales were of no use to him. He couldn't attract Alfred to him by dancing gracefully in the perfect beam of underwater sunlight, which would make his scales seem alive on their own as they shimmered with light. He'd never been more ashamed of what he was than right now…

"You're right, Matthew," he said softly, feeling a tear run down his face and fall into the water. "If I ever want to have a healthy relationship with Alfred, I'll have to tell him the truth." He hoped the tear that'd fallen into the lukewarm bathwater went unnoticed. It did.

"Good!" Matthew smiled as he stood up. "I'm going to be at Kiku's all day tomorrow, so that might be a good time to tell him!" He turned to leave Arthur with his thoughts, but then turned back. "And I swear, Arthur, I honestly won't tell anyone."

Arthur nodded as Matthew left him alone.

Well, he knew this: he wanted Alfred. He wanted him with everything he'd ever been, everything he was, and everything he'd ever be. But, in all reality…

Did Alfred want _him_?

**A/N: Just so everyone knows, "chanceux" is French for "lucky man", and the merfolk say "Dear Poseidon" or "Oh, Poseidon" because they live in the sea, and Poseidon is the Greek god of the seas. Review, please! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.**

Chapter 7

The next morning, just at sunrise, Matthew Williams was walking on the beach in a black tank top and his white swim trunks. He ran the night before over in his head, trying to figure out how he was going to keep such a huge, incredible secret.

Merfolk were _real_! That was one of the biggest mysteries in the world, and he—a normal, nineteen-year-old Canadian boy—had solved it! This was the best thing that'd ever happened to him! But, sadly, he'd promised Arthur that he wouldn't whisper a word to anyone, and since he wasn't as loudmouthed or as obnoxious as his brother, Mattie would take Arthur's secret to the grave. But still, it'd be nice to have someone to share his excitement with…

Suddenly, Mattie heard the sound of somebody breathing heavily, but not in a sensual way, but in a terrified way. He followed the sound and found…

"Another merman," he whispered as he leaned over the large rock and stared at the writhing, gasping merman. His hair was shoulder-length and golden, his skin pale and creamy, and his tear-stained eyes were as blue as the sky at noon. He had a slight beard, and a shimmering red tail. He was also tangled up in at least three different fishnets.

Unbeknownst to Matthew, it was Francis, who'd been moving so fast on his morning swim that he'd slammed into three fishnets before rocketing onto shore—all, of course, by accident.

Matthew felt sympathy for the poor merman filling him. He crawled over the rock—which was big enough to conceal them both—and grasped onto the net closest to the top.

Francis stopped struggling and looked up, his breath catching in his throat. A human had found him. No. No, this couldn't be happening! He couldn't end up like Arthur! However, as he lay there, paralyzed by fear, he noticed that the human's face was kind and gentle, and that he wasn't holding anything that could be considered a threat. In fact, he was gently tugging the nets loose, trying to remove them! Francis lay there, completely still, as Matthew removed the nets from him.

The second the last net was gone, Francis jumped on Matthew, pinning him to the ground. He wrapped his arms around the trembling human's neck, cuddling up to him in gratitude as his upper body dried, causing him to turn human.

Matthew's face went from pale to bright red as Francis became human. He would've been fine with it, had Francis not been butt-naked! He tried to wiggle out from underneath the French merman, but Francis was too busy showering Matthew with compliments and terms of endearment—both in French and English.

"_Oh, mon Dieu! _Thank goodness you came along, my little _cheveux ondules sauveur! _I don't know what would've happened without you! Oh, you're _magnifique_!" Francis smiled and began kissing Matthew's cheeks and forehead, jaw and neck, getting at any skin he could, really. Finally, Francis took Matthew's face in his hands and kissed him.

Matthew's eyes widened and he stopped struggling, too paralyzed by shock to move. Francis ran his fingers over Matthew's arms, curving them up his shoulders before grasping his tank top. He smiled against Mattie's lips before pulling away to straddle him properly. He glanced around, glad that not only was it so early in the morning, but that they were surrounded by large rocks that could conceal what he planned to do to the human.

"Ah, you are so cute," he whispered as he stroked Matthew's pink cheeks. "And I thank you for rescuing me." He leaned down and kissed the thundering pulse point in Matthew's neck, causing the Canadian to whimper a little.

"N-No p-problem," Matthew whispered, heat coiling up in his stomach. His cheeks flushed even darker and he bit his lip as Francis' fingers trailed up his sides teasingly, the merman removing his tank top.

Matthew began to question why—as Francis studied his pale, lithe-but-muscular torso gratefully—he wasn't fighting back, but the answer came so simply to him: he wanted this. He wanted Francis to take him here on the beach, in the light of the rising sun.

"In fact, I'm so grateful," Francis began as he leaned down, rubbing himself slowly against Matthew and licking his neck, "that I should thank you properly."

"Oh, yes!" Matthew gasped, latching onto the French merman. "Please do! Thank me as properly as you possibly can!" He honestly didn't care if he sounded like a whore. It'd been awhile for poor Matthew…

The merman lifted an eyebrow and smiled gently, easing Matthew back into the sand. "Don't worry, _mon cher_, I will. But first, may I know the name of my _sauveur_?"

"Matthew," the Canadian said, trying to grind up into Francis, who—like him—was sporting an obvious, proud erection. "My name is Matthew Williams." He glanced up at Francis, giving him the best pleading look he possibly could. "What's yours?"

"I am Francis Bennefoy," he said seductively, thrusting back against the desperate human. "Now, would you like to stop talking?"

"Yes!"

Francis tugged off Matthew's trunks and threw them onto a nearby rock, where his tank top lay as well. He pulled Matthew up so he was straddling the Canadian's lap, then kissed him gently. The kiss began gentle and soft, but soon Francis began to trace the outline of Mattie's mouth with his tongue, demanding entrance to the human's soft mouth. Matthew happily granted him access as he tangled his fingers into Francis' hair, thrusting up to grind their erections together.

Francis moaned into Matthew's mouth, sucking on his bottom lip for a few seconds before attacking the boy's pale throat, showering it with little bites, kisses, and sucking on it.

"_Tu es a moi," _Francis purred in his ear, marking his neck and shoulders. He traveled down to Matthew's collarbone, biting it harshly before sucking on it gently as apology. As he did, his fingers began to tweak and play with the human's pale nipples, making them little diamonds under his fingertips. An all the while, he was still grinding slowly against the desperate, whimpering mess underneath him.

"_Oui!" _Matthew gasped as Francis slid down to tongue his navel, still playing with his nipples. Matthew bit down on his lip as Francis glanced up at him, his tropical-blue gaze heated like a star. "Please, Francis…"

"Hmm?" Francis kissed his name into Mattie's stomach, one of his hands sneaking down to tease Matthew's achingly hard cock with the tips of his fingers. "What does my dear savior want?"

"You know what I want!" As if to prove his point, Matthew thrust his hips upward, making Francis chuckle quietly.

"_Oui, mon cher, _I do," he whispered, leaning up to kiss Mattie once more before grasping his cock, which began to drip precum.

"Then what are you— Oh, _oui_!" Matthew threw his head back and grabbed at the sand, which fell right back through his fingers.

Francis had taken his head into his mouth, sucking it gently while his tongue teased the slit. He slowly engulfed more, sucking a bit harsher with each inch he took in. As he worked with his hand what his mouth couldn't take in, he hummed "Frère Jacques", making Mattie moan like the whore he most certainly wasn't. Francis ran his tongue over the underside of Matthew's member, the head touching the back of his throat. He swallowed around it, causing Mattie to throw his head back again and tangle his fingers into his hair. He tried to thrust up, but Francis held him still and sucked harder, running his tongue from the underside of the shaft to the slit, over and over.

Matthew panted, looking down between his legs, where Francis stared back heatedly. He was so gorgeous it made Mattie's heart pound a mile-per-second. The more Francis put into it, the more Matthew felt his muscles tighten and tremble, or his blood run faster and get warmer. He was sure his face, neck, and chest looked like that of a lobster's at the moment, but he didn't care. He just needed Francis to _keep going_…

"Francis, I'm gonna—" Mattie whimpered, about to come, only to have Francis pull off him. He whined and thrust up against the cold air, wanting the delicious friction to return again.

Francis smiled and put a finger over his lips. "Shh," he purred in Matthew's ear as he slid the finger gently between the boy's lips. "You'll get your release, _mon amour_, but first…you have to help me prepare you." He slid two other fingers in, and Matthew sucked on them happily, sliding his tongue between and over the digits, making sure they were coated thoroughly.

"Please," he whispered Francis slid them from his mouth. "Please, take me, Francis."

Francis kissed him again before sliding back down his body, propping the human's legs up onto his shoulders. "Relax," he breathed, kissing the tip of Mattie's erection before tracing the puckered entrance in front of him. As he gently pushed the finger in, Matthew grunted with discomfort, not used to such a foreign feeling. He'd only ever been with girls before…

"Shh, my darling," Francis whispered, kissing Mattie's stomach gently, twisting his nipple with his free hand. "Just relax, okay?"

Matthew nodded and did his best to relax as Francis gently added another finger, thrusting them inside slowly, scissoring them to open Mattie up.

"Ouch," Matthew whispered, but as he was about to beg Francis to retract his fingers, those gentle fingers brushed something inside him that made him arch his back off the sand. "Oh, yes! Francis, please, do that again!"

"_Oui_, my darling, I will," Francis assured him, sticking the third finger in alongside the other two.

Matthew barely noticed, however, because he was too busy moaning and writhing as Francis continuously abused his prostate, while gently suckling the head of his cock.

"Please, Francis!" he begged, tugging gently on Francis' soft locks. "I need you inside me _now_! Please!"

Francis chuckled and removed his fingers before beginning to gently ease himself into his new lover. Matthew whimpered as he was stretched by Francis' large member. It hurt, to say the least, but when he looked up into Francis' blue eyes, he saw such love and adoration that he didn't dare ask him to stop.

Francis paused once he was all the way inside, gently kissing Mattie as he waited for a signal to move.

After a second or two, Matthew pulled away from the kiss and whispered, "Move, please…" in his ear.

Francis nodded and began to thrust slowly, making sure he wasn't hurting Matthew. His thrusts grew faster and went deeper, though not harder, no matter how much he wanted to bury himself within Mattie and ravish him until the poor boy could barely breathe. Matthew felt like heaven to him: he was tight, unbelievably so, and just as warm, if not warmer, than the waters around them. He gasped out the human's name as he pulled him close for an open-mouthed kiss.

"You are mine," he purred in Matthew's ear, sucking the lobe. "All mine."

"Yes!" Matthew cried as he thrust back against Francis, his nails digging into the French merman's back. "Yes, I am!"

Francis reached between and grabbed Matthew's dripping, neglected erection, purring in French as he did.

"_Tu es a moi pour toujours, Matthieu. Mon pote, et seulement la mienne. Ondin, humaine, ou un dieu… Il n'a pas d'importance qui ils sont, ils vont vous envier pour votre beaute, et m'envient pour vous avoir. Je t'aime."_

Matthew moaned and threw his head back at hearing that. It was one of the single most beautiful things anybody had ever said to him. He loved it!

And he loved Francis.

"Come for me, my dear," Francis whispered, thrusting faster, closer to his own release. "Come _with_ me."

"Oh, God!" Matthew dug his nails so deep into Francis' back, he drew blood as he came. _"Je t'aime!"_

"_Je t'aime!" _Francis repeated back as he came inside the human, panting. He collapsed on top of Matthew, who held him gently and stroked his hair.

"That was wonderful," Francis whispered as he kissed Matthew again. He pulled gently out of the boy, who winced in return, and he settled next to him, on his side. "I know I came onto land to find someone, but…it can wait."

**A/N: Well, that was the first smut I've ever written…that I actually published. I know it wasn't that great, so I'd appreciate it if no one judged me, all right? Oh, and if no one really knows what Francis said to Mattie, here's the translation:**

**"You are mine forever, Matthew. My mate, and only mine. Merfolk, human, or god… It doesn't matter who they are, they'll envy you for your beauty, and envy me for having you. I love you."**

**Cheveux ondules sauveur: "wavy-haired savior."**

**That's about it, so… Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story idea.

Chapter 8

Matthew ran into his brother's house, shoving right passed Alfred and Arthur, and going up into his room. He'd completely forgotten he was spending the day—and night—at Kiku's house! (Of course, after what'd happened at the beach, it would be normal for someone to forget something as unimportant as that.)

After they'd made love, Francis had asked Matthew if he knew somebody named Arthur Kirkland, and Matthew—fearing that Francis would take Arthur away before he had a chance to admit his love to Alfred—had told him he didn't. Francis had looked saddened, but said that he believed him before handing Matthew his clothes and then pulling clothes of his own out of a nearby bag. Then he'd simply walked down the beach and disappeared.

Matthew, though, had a feeling he'd see Francis again soon. But he didn't really understand what'd just happened; he knew he and Francis had "made love"—as Francis put it—on the beach, and though Francis had declared love for him more than once, Matthew wasn't entirely sure he felt the same for Francis. Yes, he was handsome and seemed very romantic, but Mattie was very shy when it came to love—or anything, really.

_Maybe I should ask Arthur,_ he thought as he slung his now-full backpack over his shoulder. _He obviously knows Francis._

"Hey, Arthur?" he asked a little nervously as he came down the stairs.

Arthur was sitting closely to Alfred on the couch, every now and then stealing glances at the American human. Alfred seemed oblivious, though, since he was watching a rerun of _SpongeBob SquarePants _and laughing his ass off. That, or he was just ignoring Arthur.

"Yes, Matthew?" Arthur was glad that Matthew had come down the stairs and spoken his name. It saved him from the slightly awkward atmosphere between him and Alfred.

"Can I talk to you about something? Uh…alone?" Mattie shifted nervously from foot-to-foot, nodding toward the kitchen.

Arthur stared at the human in confusion, but nodded and followed him into the kitchen. What could Matthew possibly want to talk about? He hadn't _told_ anyone about Arthur, had he? If he had, he was so getting drowned!

"What is it, Matthew?" Arthur asked quietly once the door to the kitchen was safely closed and locked.

"Uh… Well, I was on the beach this morning, and I heard the sound of someone struggling, and so I went to go see what was going on, and there was a merman tangled up in some nets. I got him out, and he jumped on me and started complimenting me and kissing my face and stuff. He told me his name was Francis Bennefoy and then we a…you know…had sex…?" It definitely sounded more like a question than a comment, like Matthew was asking Arthur not to yell at him.

Arthur stood there for a moment, trying to process what Matthew had just told him. First, he'd met Francis. Second, he'd gotten the merman out of some nets. Third, they'd mated _right there on the beach_? Was Francis _that stupid_?

Arthur felt his brow twitch, but he didn't sat anything as Mattie added the last part.

"Oh, and he told me he loved me and called me his mate. And I told him I loved him, too, but I think it was just the great sex talking."

Arthur sighed sympathetically and touched the boy's shoulder. "Sadly, Matthew, you're wrong. It wasn't just the sex talking, because it wouldn't've _been_ great sex if you two didn't love each other. That's how mating works with merfolk. If the sex isn't great, it's not meant to be. I'm sorry, but you're stuck with him forever now. You were meant to be, and Francis could see that from the second you saved him. That's why he jumped on you and started kissing you.

Some merfolk, like me, can be completely oblivious to who their true mate is until someone points it out, like you did for me. But not Francis, Matthew; he's always been the overly romantic type. You're his now, and he's yours. You won't be able to be away from each other for a very long time, though; soon, your body, mind, and soul will begin to long for his presence, and the other way around."

Matthew's eyes widened and he looked as if he may faint, but after a minute, he took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks for being honest with me, Arthur."

"No problem, Matthew. Oh, and the next time you see Francis, tell him he a blood frog-eater for me, will you?" Arthur smiled as Matthew laughed.

"I will," Matthew promised, just as Alfred called from the other room, "Mattie, Kiku's here!"

After Matthew left…

Alfred watched Mattie and Kiku drive away, smiling and waving. Then he turned to Arthur, who was back to sitting on the couch and glancing nervously at him every now and then. Alfred couldn't understand why Arthur always seemed to get a little tongue-tied around him, or why he blushed whenever Alfred got less-than-a-foot away from him, but he figured it was just something that was taboo in England.

"So, what do you want to do, Artie?" Alfred asked as he settled down beside Arthur. "You wanna watch more _SpongeBob_?"

Arthur made a face at the TV and shook his head. "No, thank you, Alfred," he muttered politely. "In my opinion, the show makes no sense. I mean, since when do sea sponges live in pineapples and work for sweaty crabs?"

Alfred laughed and shook his head. "That's the joke, dude! Did you lose your sense of humor when you fell out of that boat?"

Arthur glared at him fiercely, but regained his composure before he could explode. He'd not only promised Matthew, but also _himself_ that today he would tell Alfred that he was a merman. He had to get over _that_ big obstacle before he told him he was in love with him.

"Alfred…do you think you could run me a warm bath?" Arthur asked politely, looking away. "I'm feeling a little weak today, and I don't know if I could do it myself."

Alfred looked at him in confusion and incredulousness. "Why do you need me to do it?"

"Just do it, you wanker!" Arthur insisted, pointing to the hall that led to the downstairs bathroom.

Alfred rolled his eyes, but shuffled away, grumbling under his breath about how Arthur was acting like a spoiled prince or something.

Arthur took a deep breath and did his best to prepare himself, both emotionally and mentally. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Alfred hated him after this. What if Alfred yelled and him, or hit him? What if he poured blood and chum all over him and threw him into the sea? What if—

"Arthur, the bath's ready!" Alfred called from the bathroom.

Arthur took in one last deep breath and stood up, hands made into fists at his sides. He could do this… He could do this… He could do this…

"Dude, you okay?" Alfred asked as Arthur walked into the bathroom with a robe and a towel. "You seem way weirder than usual today…"

"Be quiet, you git!" Arthur insisted as he closed and locked the door. He began to pull of the sweatshirt Alfred had given him when he heard the human begin to protest.

"Dude, what're you doing? No, no, no, no! NO! Stop taking your clothes off with me in here! Not cool!" Alfred covered his eyes and turned away from the undressing merman. A minute later, he heard Arthur's T-shirt and sweatshirt hit the floor, then his pants and boxers.

"Alfred, _I am a man_," Arthur pointed out as he stepped over to the tub. "You _can_ look at me, you know."

_No, I can't,_ Alfred thought as he heard the water shift as Arthur got in. _Because if I do, I'll start saying a bunch of stuff that doesn't even make sense._

Arthur looked down as his legs changed to his shimmering green tail and his gills grew back, causing him to sink neck-deep into the water.

"Dude, can I leave yet?" Alfred asked, shifting uncomfortably, still not looking at Arthur. He hadn't left yet on his own because he figured that Arthur had locked them both in here for a reason, and he wanted to know what that reason was before he left.

Arthur looked at Alfred's back, before sucking in a deep breath and softly saying, "Alfred…look at me."

"No way, dude." Alfred shook his head.

"Then look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. That's not really me, right?"

"Well…no, it's not." But Alfred still didn't do it, and Arthur was getting impatient.

"Alfred, if you don't look at me this instant, I will drown you in this bathwater!" he growled, splashing the water with his tail for example.

"Fine!" Gathering his courage, Alfred spun around to face Arthur, only to feel his heart practically stop when he did.

Arthur looked the same…on the top half. But his slender legs had been transformed into a smooth, shiny, green-scaled tail! There were gills on his neck, too, and his teeth—when he smiled sheepishly—were a bit sharper than before. Alfred took in a deep breath as he leaned against the wall, grasping onto the counter beside him to keep him from passing out.

No. There was absolutely _no way_ Arthur could be a merman. Merfolk didn't exist! They _didn't_! It was just an old fairy tail meant to put kids to sleep!

But when he looked at Arthur's waist, he didn't see a part where the scales just stopped existing, like with a fake tail. He saw skin becoming scale, and scale becoming skin. The tail didn't look fake either, but just to be sure, Alfred grabbed onto the end gently and pulled, causing Arthur's head to slip beneath the surface. The tail didn't come off.

"Dude!" Alfred shouted, more excited than he'd ever been in his entire life. "This is so AWESOME! You're a real merman! That's incredible! I mean, I've got to be dreaming, I've just gotta! You're— And— But how—" Alfred began to hyperventilate, and Arthur sat up in the tub and gently patted his back, calming him down.

"Just relax, Alfred, okay?" Arthur soothed, relieved that Alfred wasn't angry. "Just relax. Yes, I'm a _real_ merman, and yes, there are others of my kind all over the world, but before I go any further, you have to promise you won't tell anyone, all right?"

Alfred nodded eagerly and looked at Arthur with eyes that sparkled like freshly polished sapphire in pure sunlight. "I swear, Arthur, I won't say a word, not even to Mattie!"

"Oh, right, about that…" Arthur glanced away nervously before he continued speaking. "Matthew already knows…"

"Huh? How come?"

"Well, he walked in on me taking a bath, and…" Arthur made a careless gesture. "He saw me like this. Then he passed out."

Alfred laughed. "Yep, that sounds like Mattie! But I didn't pass out because I'm a hero, and heroes _do not_ pass out!" Alfred gave Arthur his blindingly perfect smile and flashed a thumbs-up.

Arthur smiled fondly and nodded in agreement. Then, when Alfred was seated comfortably on the side of the tub, he told Alfred everything he told Matthew, minus the part about him being in love with Alfred, of course. He'd do that tomorrow…

"Wow, Artie," Alfred said when Arthur was finished. "That's incredible. Oh, and I'm sorry about the whole kidnapping you thing. I didn't know."

"I understand, Alfred," Arthur said, reassuring him gently. "There was no way you could've. But…" He studied Alfred's kind, open face and said slowly, gently, "You do realize I'll have to go back to the sea at some point, right? I can't stay up here forever."

"Why not?" Alfred whined. "Can't you just, you know, do what Ariel did in _The Little Mermaid_ and get King Triton to turn you human or something?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple, Alfred. And merfolk don't even worship Triton! We worship his father, Poseidon. But anyway, the longest it's been known that a mermaid or merman has been up on land is five months, and that's with the help of water! Eventually, my body will literally be dragged back to the sea. One day, I'll just wake up, and I'll be unable to stop my body from walking back to the sea, no matter what you put in front of me or what I hold on to. I'll have to go back."

Alfred looked away, saddened. "Well, you should probably go back anyway, since you said you're missing your mating season. But you'll come back, right? To visit?" Alfred looked at Arthur pleadingly, a pout forming on his soft-looking lips.

Arthur smiled and gently touched Alfred's cheek. Oh, how he loved him… "Of course I'll come visit you, Alfred. And you can even come visit me."

"What, you mean, like, fly out to England or something?" Alfred wondered if he'd even have the time for that, considering how many classes a week he had to take.

"No, I mean… Listen, I can become temporarily human, right? Well, there's a way for you to temporarily become a merman." Arthur pictured Alfred as one of his own in his mind, and honestly, to him...it was beautiful.

"Cool!" Alfred's eyes lit up as he pictured himself with a smooth blue fishtail, moving powerfully through the waves and asserting his dominance as the sexiest and strongest merman ever.

"But these things will only be happening _after_ I leave," Arthur said sternly. "And I'll only leave…if you want me to. It's not about what I want, because frankly, I'd much rather stay here, with you and Matthew, but if you want me to go…then I'll do it."

Alfred grabbed onto Arthur and hugged him tightly, practically breaking his spine with his strength. He stood up and swung the merman around in a circle. "Don't go yet, Artie! You haven't even seen all of Salvation!"

Arthur gasped and struggled out of Alfred's hold, falling back into the water with a splash. "I'm not going anywhere yet, you bloody git! Now get me my towel!"

**A/N: I know the smut last chapter was kind of unexpected and random, but I thought that I finally needed to put some Franada in this thing, and I also thought that it seemed like something France would do, especially if someone just saved his life. I'm still trying to think of a way to get the GerIta in here, since Germany's a doctor in this thing. If anybody's got any ideas for how they should meet, I'd love to hear it. **

**Goodbye for now!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 9

Arthur was woken up the next morning by the sound of an almost _violent_ pounding on Alfred's front door. He was confused, wary really, since Matthew wasn't due back until noon, and it was six in the morning. Regardless of that information, though, he ran quietly from his room and to the door, not wanting whoever it was to wake his darling Alfred. (Though Alfred didn't _know_ he was Arthur's darling yet.)

"Francis?" His emerald-green eyes widened as he opened the door quietly and poked his head through.

Indeed, it was Francis, but he wasn't like what Arthur remembered. He didn't look joyful, and he wasn't shoving flowers into Arthur's face. He wasn't singing, or smiling, or offering to catch Arthur clams for breakfast. It was strange. There were tears misting in his jewel-blue eyes and his body was trembling.

"Arthur, you're alive!" Francis wiped the tears away and hugged his frenemy, not caring who saw. "Oh, I missed you so much! I mean, uh, I missed _arguing_ with you so much! It's so nice to see you alive and healthy, and…_human_!" The Frenchman reared back and stared at him with huge eyes. "Arthur, don't tell me you've become permanently human somehow! It would break my heart!"

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "No, Francis, I didn't. Now, if you can remain quiet, I'll let you come inside and I'll explain everything. By the way, how did you find me? And why were you crying?"

Francis smiled and followed Arthur into the house, closing the door behind him. "I honestly didn't know you were here. I was missing my dear little Matthieu—that's my mate—and my instincts told me that this is where he lives! It was just luck that you happened to be here."

Arthur felt fear fill him as he glanced at the staircase. No doubt that now that Francis knew where he was, he'd try to return him to the sea. But he couldn't go, at least not yet! He still had to tell Alfred that he was in love with him, and he still had to… Well, that part made Arthur blush, which—thankfully—Francis did not notice.

"So," Francis began as they sat down on the couch, Arthur in boxers and a T-shirt and Francis in…nothing at all.

_Wait, what? _

"Hold that thought," Arthur grumbled as he ran back up to his room, grabbed the blue robe, and came back down. He threw it a Francis, demanding he put it on before he beat him to a pulp.

"Very well, _mon cher_," Francis said as he wrapped himself in the robe and tied the sash. "Now, as I was saying, why are you here? Are you so afraid of rejection that you fled to land before you could even mate?" Francis laughed as Arthur glared at him.

"That's not it at all!" Arthur snapped, slapping Francis in the back of the head. "I came ashore to get away from the lot of you! But while I was resting on the beach, your precious Matthew, his brother Alfred, and their friend Kiku found me and brought me back here. And then I was taking a bath the other day, and—as you know—my true form appeared. I was unaware that I hadn't locked the door, Matthew walked in, the git saw me, and then he fainted like a ninny." Arthur saw the offended look on Francis' face, but he simply shrugged and waved it off. "Sorry, Francis, but he did faint. And then, when he woke up, I had no choice but to tell him everything."

Francis didn't look mad, because he was glad that he himself wouldn't have to explain everything to his darling mate now. So, he just nodded and let Arthur continue.

"Of course, then Matthew told me that I'm in love with his brother, and now _you're_ here, and…" Arthur's green eyes suddenly filled with tears as he grasped onto Francis' shoulders and practically sobbed, "You can't take me back yet, Francis, you just can't! I have to tell Alfred how I feel, I have to make him mine, and I have to be his! Please, you stupid frog-eater, don't take me back to my brothers yet!" The tears spilled over as Arthur buried his face into Francis' shirt and cried softly.

"_Oh, mon Dieu," _Francis whispered as he stroked Arthur's messy, golden-blonde hair as comfort. "Don't worry, Arthur. I won't take you back to them yet. I understand how important Alfred now is to you, so I will tell no one of your whereabouts."

"Thank you, Francis!" Arthur smiled, wiping the tears away. "How can I ever repay you?"

Francis got the "Bennefoy Rape Gleam" in his eyes as he said, "Well, if I ever want to spice up my sex life with Matthieu, maybe we could—"

Arthur punched him in the jaw and kicked him out, telling him he could keep the robe.

Later…

Alfred rolled out of bed, sighing and stretching. Yesterday came rushing back to him, and he had to hold in a squeal of excitement.

He, a marine biology student, had a _merman_ living in his house! His very own houseguest was a mythical creature of the blue! This was so cool!

Just as Alfred was about to start dancing happily around his room, he heard a soft, hauntingly beautiful voice call to him from the downstairs kitchen.

_What the hell?,_ he thought, entranced by the beautiful melody. He followed the direction of it, not caring what happened to him, as long as he got to see what was making such a gorgeous sound. He walked into the kitchen, clad only in his American flag boxers, and watched with awe in his eyes as Arthur sat upon the island counter, eyes closed, singing one of the most beautiful and haunting songs Alfred had ever heard.

_Come, my love, to the waves_

_Let us explore the deep dark caves _

_Let us hear the whales sing_

_And dive to meet the merfolks' king_

_Stay, dear lover, stay with me_

_Come with me into the sea_

_I'll meet you here, right on the cove_

_In sunken ships lay treasure and trove_

_Coral will be your new tree_

_Your legs are the only fee_

_Seaweed will be your new grass_

_As we swim with the silvery bass_

_So come, my love, come with me_

_Down into the deep blue sea…_

Arthur stopped singing, but his eyes were still closed, as if he were reminiscing about something. He took a deep breath and sighed fondly before opening his eyes, only to see Alfred standing less than three feet away, tears in his awe-filled eyes. His heart stopped when Alfred pulled him into his arms for a hug, and he felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

"Arthur, that was beautiful!" Alfred gasped. "It made me cry! _Me!_ See?" Alfred gently wiped one of the tears onto his fingertips and showed it to Arthur, who grimaced and pushed him away.

"Thank you, Alfred," he said as he poured himself a very tall glass of water. "But it wasn't an original song I came up with. My mother, Lydelle, used to sing that to me." Arthur sighed as he pictured his mother in his mind.

His mother was a beautiful mermaid, with long, flowing golden brown hair and vibrant green eyes. Her skin was pale and she had a petite figure, with a green tail, like him. She often adorned herself with things made of gold, all of which were gifts from his father, of course.

"Hey, you know what you should do?" Alfred said excitedly, snatching a few doughnuts from the box on the counter.

Arthur raised a suspicious eyebrow at his oblivious beloved. "What?"

"You should tell me about your family. You know, in the English Channel." Alfred tried to picture a huge family of merfolk that looked like Arthur, but all he could picture were little goldfish.

"Oh, Alfred, I don't want to bore you with talk of my family." Arthur was trying desperately to avoid the subject, something Alfred noticed immediately. He frowned, hurt that Arthur didn't think him worthy enough to hear his tales from the deep.

"C'mon, dude, please?" Alfred's gave him the puppy-dog look that had always worked with his parents and Mattie. "I wanna know more about you!"

Arthur sighed. Alfred obviously wasn't going to give up anytime soon, so he might as well give in…

"Very well, then," he said reluctantly. "But if you want to know more about _my_ family, you have to tell me about _your_ family."

"Oh, all right." Alfred shrugged and thought for a moment. "There's really not a lot to tell about. There's my mom and dad, but they live back in California. They met at Harvard when they where both studying law, and they wanted me to do the same, but I'm not into that kind of stuff.

Anyway, then there's Mattie. He's my twin, but I'm ten minutes older. And…that's about it. Of course, someday, I'm gonna be the world's most heroic uncle, once Mattie gets a hot wife for himself and settles down." Alfred smiled at the thought, and for a moment, Arthur felt pity for him, since it was unlikely he'd ever be an uncle.

It was never actually heard of, really, for two men to mate to the merfolk (evidently, though, humans knew of it); it'd never happened before. _Ever_. But Arthur was doubtful that Matthew or Francis could get pregnant, since they were both guys.

"Right, well then…" Arthur cleared his throat and smiled at Alfred before beginning to tell him about his family.

"My mother and father met when their generation swam to the Mediterranean Sea. Father was a picky merman, and he refused to have anything less than perfection. My mother was of top demand among the mermen of her generation, since she was so beautiful and had such an amazing singing voice. Father won her over by bringing her gorgeous gems and drachmas that fell into the sea long ago.

Not long after they swam back to the English Channel, my oldest brother Calder was born. Merfolk can choose to bare one child, in human form, or hatch several eggs, in their true form. Later, she had the twins, Aiden and Braeden, then William, and not long after that…I was born." Arthur smiled as he remembered when his parents had first taught him how to swim, sing, and talk; how to use enchanted objects, like mirrors. Arthur's face fell as he then remembered what'd happened after that.

"One day, my father was gathering crabs and mussels for our lunch when he accidentally cut himself on a sharp piece of coral. Normally, our underwater wounds heal quickly, but a nearby shark smelled the blood, and… Mother was so heartbroken, she didn't sing for two years. She was as empty as the shells she uses for jewelry. She's far better now, but she'll never truly get over it, just as Calder, Aiden, Braeden, and William would never get over it if something happened to their mates." _Just as I'd never get over it if something happened to you…_

"I'm sorry, Arthur," Alfred said sympathetically, offering him a sad smile. "But you've got your older brothers, right? That must be fun!"

Arthur snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, of course. Four older brothers who absolutely _love_ to shove me around and humiliate me. _It's_ _so_ _much_ _fun_, Alfred!"

Alfred winced. "Uh…sorry, dude."

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig Beilschmidt strolled down Lily Road Beach, uncomfortable. He rarely went out to the beach, since he was always so busy healing his patients, but he'd gotten a call from his father—the former owner of the hospital—who'd somehow found out how hard his son had been working before demanding that Ludwig take the next three days off.

So now, here he was, walking along the beach in a black tank top and swim trunks with the same color scheme as the German flag. He was walking by a large pile of driftwood when he heard the sound of someone following him. Quick reflexes being his savior, he spun around, ready to punch whoever it was, when he noticed a ginger-brunette boy a bit younger than him running around, pain all over his face.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked as the boy toppled to the ground. When he looked more closely, he saw that the boy had a crab pinching each earlobe, and one on the tip of his nose. There was a starfish stuck to his slightly visible chest, and he had a small octopus wrapped around the forearm of his right arm.

Feliciano looked up through his struggling to see a tall, muscular human looking down at him. He pointed to the crabs on his face and whimpered. He grabbed the shocked human's ankle and began to plead with him. "Please, you've got to get these things off of me! I was just trying to catch them so Lovino would stop hitting me, but then they jumped on my face and then I fell in the tide pools and this starfish got on my chest. Then, when I tried to get up, this octopus jumped on me! It hurts; I think it's eating my flesh!"

Ludwig stared down at the whimpering merman and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Could this boy really be that stupid and clumsy? Since when did something like that happen to _anyone_?

But his years—which actually weren't that many—in the medical profession were telling him that no matter how…different this patient may be, Ludwig still had to help him. So, he kneeled down and gently pried the crabs of the boy's face, then the starfish, and finally, the octopus. Then he stood up and tossed the creatures back into the ocean.

"Vee~! I'm free!" Feliciano cheered as he got up. He hugged the German doctor, who immediately shoved him away and began yelling at him in German.

"_Was zum Teuful glaubst du, du tust, du idiot? Das war unangebracht!" _Ludwig shouted angrily, before remembering that the strange boy probably couldn't understand what he was saying. He sighed, trying to relax. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get that angry. Just don't invade my personal space again, all right?"

Feliciano nodded eagerly and followed the temperamental German doctor down the beach, knowing he now had a use for all the glorious shells he'd found.

Later…

"Vee~! Gilbert, Elizabeta! I've found a mate!" Feliciano hugged Elizabeta before turning and giving the unsuspecting merman a hug.

"Really, Feli? Oh, that's wonderful!" The mermaid smiled as she hugged her friend. She was so happy for him, she could eat three buckets of clams! "Who is she?"

"It's a male human! His name's Ludwig, and—"

"Ludwig?" Gilbert interrupted, fear creeping up on him. "Is he a doctor?" He'd completely forgotten about Elizabeta by this point.

"Yeah! How did you know, Gilbert? Do you know him?" Feliciano's wide, golden eyes glimmered hopefully. If Gilbert knew Ludwig, then he could find out more about him!

Gilbert shuddered at the thought of his little, _human_ half-brother with dimwitted Feliciano. They had the same father, a human man, but Gilbert's mother was a mermaid, and Ludwig's mother was a human woman. But Gilbert had known about Ludwig from a young age, and had always done his best for his little brother, even if they were hundreds of miles away. He'd sent humans to give his father money to send Ludwig to medical school when it hadn't seemed a possibility, and not only had said humans done as they were told, but they had also informed him of Ludwig's progress in life. And Gilbert had been proud of his little brother.

Until now.

"Nope, Feli." Gilbert shrugged it off. "Just had a thought of the name sounding familiar. You're out of luck, though. Too bad, too, since anyone who'd be worthy enough to have the awesome me remember their name would've been good for you."

**A/N: What Germany yelled to Italy:**

**"What the hell do you think you're doing, you imbecile? That was uncalled for!"**

**I don't know German, so… Correct me, if you want.**

**Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 10

Calder dug through Francis' bag, growling. "Where could he have hidden that stupid wee mirror?" The bag was practically empty, save for the few other magical items Francis had brought with him. (An enchanted comb, which, when pulled through merfolk hair, allowed water that fell out to turn to precious, but small, jewels; a belt with powers that were similar to Aphrodite's girdle, making whoever wore the belt as irresistible as the Goddess of Love and Beauty herself.)

_How typical of the perverted French tool,_ Calder thought, refilling the bag as he sensed the French brothers approaching.

"Calder, what are you doing with my bag?" Francis asked as he took the bag from the Scottish merman.

"I need yer mirror again, frog-face!" Calder held out his hand impatiently, figuring that Francis must have it on him.

"Oh, sorry." Francis shrugged casually as he checked his bag for everything. "I broke it."

Calder felt his brow twitch and his slightly sharp teeth grind together. _"You. Did. WHAT?" _Enraged beyond belief, Calder grabbed Francis' neck and began to choke him, ignoring Gaul's demands for him to stop. "That was our _only_ _way_ of finding me brother and you _break_ _it_? Well, now _I'm_ gonna break _you_!" Calder pulled his fist back, prepared to punch Francis, but Gaul grabbed his arm and twisted it painfully behind his back.

"Let go of my _petit frère_, Calder!" he demanded. He managed to pry Calder off before shoving him against a rock.

Calder, though angry, realized he'd drawn attention to them. He glanced around, seeing their peers gathering.

Irunya, Natalia, and Ivan were peering over rocks at them, along with Yao and his sister Emiko; Lovino and Feliciano were there as well, as were Toris and his older brother Eduard; he also saw Lili and her brother Vash looking at them, Vash covering Lili's young ears from any harsh language that may spill.

"I'll let you go if you can behave," Gaul said, brushing his own blonde hair from his face.

Calder nodded and shoved him away, grumbling. When he noticed everyone still watching, he turned to them all and yelled, "And what are all of _you_ looking at, huh?"

The merfolk went back to their activities as Calder went underwater. He needed time to think…

**Meanwhile…**

"Alfred, would you like to go to the park with me?" Arthur asked, trying to conceal the nervousness in his voice.

Alfred looked up from his _Resident Evil 4_ video game, where he was indefinitely dying. "Sure, dude, I'll go. Just hang on a sec, okay?" Alfred put the game away, grabbed his phone, keys, and jacket, and then grabbed Arthur's arm and began pulling him out of the house, laughing as he yelled at him.

"You bloody idiot, I can walk! You don't have to drag me around! Release my arm at once!" Arthur pulled his arm free of Alfred and stomped ahead of him, to Alfred's bright blue, 2012 Toyota Camry.

The drive to the park was short, but mostly full of Alfred's laugh and Arthur's insults. The park was green and grassy, mostly trees, with a small stream running through the middle of it. The sound of the bubbling water was oh-so inviting to Arthur, and he had to practically dig his nails into his palms to keep from ripping off his clothes and jumping into the water.

"Alfred, do you think you could hold my hand?" he asked through gritted teeth, holding out his red palm to his American friend.

"Why, dude?" Alfred glanced uneasily as Arthur's outstretched palm. There weren't a lot of people in the park, since it was sunset, and he had nothing against homosexuality—if that's how Arthur went—but he didn't want to be stared at, and he didn't want Arthur to be insulted.

"Because if you don't hold onto me _somehow_," Arthur growled out, turning eyes that were like green flames on Alfred, "I'll dive into that water and _sprout a tail in public_. Is that what you want?"

Alfred shook his head quickly and grasped Arthur's hand, hearing him let out a relieved sigh. He gave Arthur's hand a reassuring squeeze as they made their way to Alfred's favorite spot: a tree that was in just the right position to get enough sunlight to keep you warm and enough shade to keep you cool.

"Isn't this nice, Artie?" Alfred asked as he settled down under the tree, using their interlaced fingers to pull Arthur down with him. "Just sitting here, watching the sunset, like a—" Alfred stopped suddenly, his face as bright red as the tomatoes on his beloved hamburgers.

Arthur glanced at Alfred, shocked by his bright red face. Was there something _wrong_ with him? Did he need to see Dr. Beilschmidt?

"Like what, Alfred?" Arthur looked around and noticed that there were some people—what little were left in the park at the hour—looking at them oddly, as if they were disapproving of something. "Why are they looking at us like that, Alfred?" he asked softly, feeling uncomfortable.

Alfred cleared his throat and stood up, pulling Arthur to his feet as well. "Just ignore them," he said as he shot all of them glares. He led Arthur over to the river, forgetting for a moment what Arthur truly was. He stood there on the bridge, grasping Arthur's trembling hand tightly and glaring at anyone who dared look at them disapprovingly.

"A-Alfred," Arthur choked out as he stared down at the inviting freshwater stream. "Are you r-really this b-bloody _s-stupid_?" He was practically ripping Alfred's hand from his arm, for Pete's sake! It was like he was a starving man who'd just been offered a four-course meal, but couldn't eat any of it until he finished some _stupid_ questionnaire!

Alfred wasn't really paying attention, so he didn't notice Arthur whimpering and squirming as he tried desperately to keep from jumping in the water. However, once the very last of the people had left the park, he felt himself be shoved away forcefully. He looked over with wide eyes just in time to see Arthur cry out happily and plunge into the water below.

"_Thank Poseidon!" _Arthur screamed once his head had resurfaced. He dove down into the freshwater again, just to revel in the similar feeling of being in the oceans. Oh, how he missed this feeling…

Alfred watched with a bright smile on his face before unconsciously letting out his obnoxious laugh. "Dude, you're so funny! You remind me of a dog!"

"How dare you!" Arthur snapped as he splashed water up at Alfred, who just laughed harder. "I am no mangy mongrel! I am a creature of splendor! Of wonder! And you, my friend, are but a worthless human!"

Alfred stopped laughing and glared at Arthur. _"Worthless?_ I'm not worthless! If it wasn't for me, you probably would've been carried away by a crazy person or something! You're _lucky_ I found you!"

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" Arthur tossed his head to the side like a snob and splashed again. "Yes, of course I'm lucky! I get taken from my _friends_, my _brothers_, and my _destiny_ by some idiotic American wanker, his stupid little brother, and their creepy friend! Well, _pardon_ _me_ for not succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome!"

Alfred jumped over the bridge and landed in the water beside Arthur. "Don't play that card with me, Arthur, because you know you like spending time with me and Mattie!"

"It's 'Mattie and I', you dolt! Do you want me to slap you with my tail?" As if to make a point, Arthur flexed his tail, glaring dangerously at Alfred.

"Stubborn Brit!" Alfred grabbed the end of Arthur's tail with one hand and used the other to grab his waist, squeezing them both until it was sure there'd be bruises the next day.

"Filthy American!" Arthur grabbed Alfred's neck, not choking him exactly, but holding onto it tightly.

"Half-fish freak of nature!"

"Rejected animal of the Gods!"

"Science experiment gone wrong!"

"Sociopathic primate!"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Make me!"

"Fine with me!"

Alfred pulled Arthur into his arms and kissed him furiously. Arthur's eyes widened and he flailed wildly, slapping Alfred with his tail and hitting him with his fists. His protests were muffled by Alfred's soft mouth, which pressed against his more insistently. Arthur gasped, and as Alfred was about to shove his tongue into the merman's mouth, Arthur hit him with his tail just hard enough to knock some sense into the human.

"Alfred, what the bloody hell is wrong with you? What did you just do to me? Were you trying to _eat me_? You sick bastard!" Arthur went on ranting at the confused human. Arthur honestly didn't know what a kiss was. Some merfolk—Arthur being one of them—were kept almost completely in the dark until the day they mated, and Arthur had never seen any of his brothers kiss their mates, so he was completely alone in that category.

"Ow! Stop hitting me! Seriously, dude, stop it!" Alfred, who was now being slapped furiously by both Arthur's tail _and_ his hands, released the merman and swam as fast as he could to the shore. Unfortunately, Arthur was much faster.

"—and another thing, you insolent little—"

"How much longer can you yell at me for?"

Meanwhile…

Matthew was dragged to the park by Francis, who wanted to see the "land coral", as he'd put it. Not that Matthew minded, really. He liked the park, especially at dusk. It was so nice to just sit there at listen to the crickets begin to chirp, or the frogs croak, or both.

But that didn't mean that Matthew wasn't still a little confused by his situation with Francis.

"So, what confuses you, my little flower?" Francis cooed, lacing his fingers with the Canadian's, winking.

"It's just…you can't possibly be so sure of me being your mate, can you?" Matthew blushed as he used the word "mate".

Francis laughed quietly. "Of course I am, _mon ami_! It's really more of an instinctual thing, actually. You see, there are merfolk like Arthur who, while already in love with their mate upon meeting them, are oblivious to it, so they try to woo others, but fail because they already love someone else. They do, eventually, realize it, or have it pointed out to them, like you did to Arthur. Then, there are merfolk like me, who immediately know who they belong with from the first few moments of meeting them, like when you saved me from those nets. A connection is made, a spiritual one, which binds the two together. The other, while able to feel it, may be wary of it at first, but will soon come around to it, like you."

"But then why did you say that when you first came here you needed to impress all the girls?"

"I was going to sample each of them, and in doing so, I'd find The One. But evidently, my One wasn't even a mermaid!"

"Then how come my brother hasn't realized that Arthur's in love with him yet?"

"Probably because your brother is an oblivious idiot who can't read the atmosphere?" Francis suggested, not meaning any offense.

Matthew sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

As they drew closer to the bridge, Francis heard splashing and yelling. And one of the voices yelling sounded like Arthur's!

"_Mon Dieu! _Matthieu, I believe Arthur may be in trouble! Come on, hurry!" Francis grabbed Matthew's hand and pulled the boy over to the stream under the bridge, where they found Arthur in his true form, struggling with a human in soaked clothing. Oddly enough, the human looked similar to Francis' little Matthieu.

"Alfred, what are you doing to Arthur?" Matthew cried as he grabbed his brother's arms and pulled him out of the stream, doing his best to hold him back.

"Arthur, calm down, I'm sure— Wait." He paused and turned to the panting American, who was still glaring at Arthur. "Did you say his name was _Alfred_? As in the Alfred that Arthur's so infatuated with?"

"Francis!" Matthew and Arthur shouted in unison, their voices marinated in horror. "Don't!"

Alfred's anger faded as confusion took its place. "What does 'infatuated with' mean?"

Everyone but Alfred sighed in great relief as Arthur quickly thought up a lie. "It means I'm always annoyed with you, git!"

Alfred laughed as Mattie cautiously let him go, no longer seeing his brother as a threat. "Yep, that sounds like you, Artie!"

"Shut up!"

"Hey," Alfred began, turning to Francis. "Who're you?"

_Your future brother-in-law,_ Francis thought, but instead, he held out his hand for s shake, as he'd seen humans do before, which Alfred accepted politely. "My name is Francis Bennefoy. I'm Matthieu's new friend."

"Oh, well that's great! Mattie needs more of those!" Alfred smiled as he retraced his hand and patted Francis' back approvingly.

"Shut up, Al, I've got plenty of friends!" Mattie snapped, shoving his brother.

"Oh, yeah? Like who? That white teddy bear I've been hiding in my room for years? Or Kiku?"

"You've had my bear this whole time? You jackass, you said you lost him years ago!"

"Oh, yeah… I wasn't supposed to tell you that…"

"_I'm gonna kill you!" _

**A/N: _*__stares at the chapter written__* _Uh… I… I have absolutely nothing to say… *_keeps staring*_**

**Oh, I almost forgot! Emiko is Taiwan.**_  
_

**And to anybody who doesn't know what Stockholm Syndrome is, it's a mental...condition. (Sure, that's it.) It's when you've been kidnapped, but you soon form a kind of bond with your kidnappers, and you're not really scared of them anymore.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine except the idea. Now, on with the show! _*__Waves hands like a circus ringleader*_**

Chapter 11

Ludwig was glad it was his last day of vacation; he wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. He wanted to be back in his office, his familiar white lab coat around his shoulders, the too-sterile air in his lungs. But he figured he owed it to his father to at least _try_ to enjoy his last day of vacation, so he decided to visit a local café called International Café.

The International Café served food from all around the world; German wurst—his particular favorite—Italian pasta, French wine and escargot, English blood pudding, American bacon cheeseburgers, Chinese cold sesame noodles, Russian borsch, and Japanese soba with sliced duck breast, which he'd tried once before. (It actually hadn't been that bad.)

As he walked down Main Street, though, he heard footsteps approaching, and rather quickly. For a second, he tensed, but when he recognized the voice that began calling out his name, he growled under his breath.

_No,_ he thought as he stopped in his tracks. _Not him!_

"Ludwig!" Feliciano grasped his "friend's" arm and held onto it as he caught his breath. "I finally caught up to you! _Grazie a Dio!_" Feliciano felt like he'd been both swimming _and_ running from Arthur for hours on end, like that time he'd stolen a week's worth of mussels from him. (He'd only wanted to take them to the human to see if he could exchange them for some pretty beads, but Arthur and his older brother Aiden had caught him and scolded him, snatching the mussels back up and swimming away.)

"Yes, Feliciano, it seems you have. Well, do you want to go to the International Café with me?" Ludwig figured it was the nicest thing he could do for the strange Italian.

Feliciano blinked up at him. "What's a café?"

Ludwig stared at him as if he were insane. "You don't know what a café is?" Maybe the boy had some form of amnesia… Ludwig would make sure that he made an appointment for the boy tomorrow, but until then…

Feliciano shook his head, golden eyes confused. They didn't have "cafés" in the ocean.

"What, did you live under a rock your whole life?" Ludwig's irritated, ice-blue eyes narrowed down on the little Italian, who was still a little confused on the subject of human idioms, metaphors, and similes.

Feliciano, taking it literally, nodded and smiled as they walked through the doors of the nice little café. "Yes, of course I did! My big brother Lovino said it would be safe under there; he said the sharks wouldn't get us, like they got the rest of our family."

Ludwig's face filled with sympathy for a split second before he turned away with an uncomfortable look. "Oh…I'm sorry, Feliciano." Ludwig wasn't going to do what people did when someone was sad; take pity on them and tell them "I know what you're going through", when—in all honesty—they don't. Ludwig didn't know what it felt like to loose a family member, since his mother and father were still alive, and he'd never met any of his grandparents.

Feliciano didn't say or do anything else until a waitress in a pink silk summer dress with purple flowers on it came up to them. Her skin was fair, milky really, and her eyes were huge and amber-ish, with a certain shine to them. Her night-black hair was styled into an evenly cut, chin-length bob, with bangs falling over her forehead. Fastened gently into the hair was a gold hairclip with chiffon cherry blossoms on it. She was petite, and on her feet she wore cork sandals with white silk ribbons on them.

Ludwig knew her as Kiku Honda's younger sister, Sakura Honda. A shy girl, he'd heard, much like her brother. While Kiku studied the island's technology for his summer college courses at the island's university, Sakura had just finished high school.

"_Kon'nichiwa_, Ludwig," she said softly, a menu already in her hand. She noticed Feliciano looking around curiously and pointed to him. "Who's he? A friend of yours?" As she spoke, she reached for another menu cautiously, waiting for Ludwig to reply.

Ludwig glanced over at the Italian. "Uh…I guess. He'll be having lunch with me, Sakura." He sighed and closed his eyes in exhaustion as Feli made an interested sound when he noticed a painting of George Washington on the "American" section of the large wall.

The wall was divided up into sections, and each section showed a piece of history or a part of the culture it was honoring—hence, the picture of George Washington on the American part of the wall. Sakura led them to a booth under the Italian section of the wall, which caused Feli to study the pictures and preserved items with great interest.

"I know you'll probably have the usual, right Ludwig?" Sakura asked with a small smile as she pulled a notepad and pen from the fashionable white apron around her waist. "Liver wurst?"

Ludwig nodded and ordered a beer to go with it, however, he remembered he still had to wait for Feliciano to order. So Sakura wrote down what Ludwig wanted before saying she'd be back to take Feliciano's order later.

"Hey, Ludwig?" Feliciano held out the open menu to his German friend and pointed to a picture of orecchiette with tomato sauce, basil leaves, and parmesan cheese. "What's this? It looks like rope…"

"That's called pasta," Ludwig said slowly, now seriously considering the fact that there may be something wrong with the Italian. "It's an Italian dish, just like pizza."

Feli read the description of the food and smiled. "It sounds good! I want to try it!"

Ludwig shrugged, not knowing what lay ahead if he let Feliciano try pasta. When Sakura came back, Ludwig ordered Feliciano's food and also a bottle of Italia red wine for him.

As Sakura walked away, Feliciano turned to Ludwig and asked, "What's wine?"

Ludwig almost slammed his own head down on the table in frustration.

**One hour later…**

"_E'stato incredibile! Meraviglioso! __Cosi buono!" _Feliciano just couldn't stop talking about how much he loved pasta now!

Honestly, Ludwig was sorry he'd ever told the merman what it was.

**Meanwhile…**

Arthur and Alfred hadn't done a lot of talking since Alfred had tried to eat Arthur at the park. (However, Matthew, Alfred, and Francis had all called it a "kiss". So he'd Googled "kiss", and after a few…_disturbing_ videos, he'd apologized to Alfred for barking at him like a mad dog.)

So now, Arthur was sitting on a window seat, staring out at the beach. He longed for the ocean _even more_ after his little break in the freshwater stream. And he would go back soon, he just knew it, but… He glanced uneasily at Alfred's sleeping form on the couch. Alfred was his only loose end here, the only thing keeping him from going home. He wanted to tell Alfred how he felt about him, and he wanted to claim Alfred for his own, but he was far too frightened by rejection to do such a thing. Besides, he didn't even know how to tell Alfred about his feelings. He knew the simplest way would be to walk up to Alfred and say "I love you", but that's not how his people worked, even in this situation.

All he wanted to do was walk down to the beach and collect the most beautiful shells he could find. He wanted to have whales sing Alfred to sleep, but he couldn't do that, because Alfred wasn't like him. Alfred just wouldn't understand unless Arthur told him about it directly.

_Well,_ he thought as he walked over to Alfred's sleeping body. _I guess I'll have to woo him the human way. Except I know absolutely nothing about the human way of wooing—or "flirting", as Francis said it was called up here._

Arthur was pulled from his thoughts as Alfred stirred a little in his sleep, his plump lips parting slightly. Arthur watched him, fascinated. He'd never seen a human sleep before, and merfolk were pretty still when they slept; humans…not so much. Arthur carefully climbed onto the sleeping human and lay down so that he was on his stomach, on top of Alfred, their legs tangled together a little. He leaned up on his elbows so he could look directly down at Alfred's peaceful face, and he smiled gently. Alfred was so _cute_ when he slept…

Just as the merman was beginning to relax, Alfred stirred again in his sleep, throwing his arms around Arthur and holding him like Matthew had held his teddy bear when he'd finally gotten it back from his brother.

Arthur blushed and squirmed a bit, trying to wake up Alfred, to no avail. Sighing softly, he whispered, "Wake up, you git," in the American's ear, but Alfred just chuckled softly and kept on sleeping. Arthur rolled his eyes and squirmed again, but nothing happened—well, Alfred tightened his hold a little and mumbled something that was incomprehensible, but that didn't count as a good thing at the moment.

"Wake up," Arthur whispered again, getting irritated now. "Come on, Alfred, wake up."

Nothing.

"Fine! I know how to wake you up!" Arthur whisper-shouted angrily, latching his mouth onto Alfred's own soft lips.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Arthur began to draw back, angry and flustered, but suddenly Alfred pulled him even closer—if that was even possible—and kissed back heatedly. Arthur blushed, but kissed Alfred again, remembering how he'd seen it in the disturbing videos. He ran his tongue along Alfred's bottom lip and the American happily opened his mouth to the British merman. While their tongues fought, Arthur began to wonder if Alfred were still asleep, and if he was… Damn.

He felt like his tongue was halfway down Alfred's warm throat when he heard a quiet, shocked voice ask, "Are you two really gonna do that on the couch?"

Arthur, with a surprised cry, shot up and out of Alfred's arm and fell of the couch, almost hitting his head on the coffee table. Almost. He sat up and nervously rubbed the back of his head, blushing as he looked up at a slightly amused, but mostly confused, Matthew.

"Ah… Good afternoon, Matthew!" Arthur got to his feet, hands clasped modestly behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I was just…um…taking Alfred's temperature! Yes, that's what I was doing!"

Matthew raised an unconvinced eyebrow and shifted Mr. Kumajirou—the white teddy bear—into his right arm, like one would a sleeping baby, so he could put his left hand on his hip. "With your _tongue_?"

Arthur became even more red-faced than before and looked away, stuttering. (And through all of this, Alfred was _still_ sleeping!) "W-Well, i-isn't that h-how humans t-take each others' t-temperatures?" He glanced down at the still-slumbering Alfred. "A-And doesn't h-he l-look rather i-ill?"

"No, to both questions." Matthew glanced down at his brother. "He looks as healthy as a horse." Suddenly, he thought of something. "Wait, did you tell him…?"

Arthur snorted. "Oh, yes, Matthew that's a bloody _fantastic_ idea! 'Yes, I know! I'll tell him I'm _completely in love with him_ while he's passed out on the couch! I'm a _genius_!'" He rolled his eyes as Matthew looked away, embarrassed a bit.

"Uh….Arthur?" Matthew glanced down at the couch, but Arthur didn't notice; he was too busy ranting.

"I mean, Alfred will really hear me then! It'd be great time to tell him how much I love him!"

"Arthur…"

"Or tell him about how much I want to kiss him, even though I barely even know what that is!"

"Arthur."

"Or maybe I could even tell him about how I would do anything in the world for him!"

"Arthur!"

"What the bloody hell is it?" Arthur spun back toward the Canadian, eyes a furious green, and followed the boy's pointing finger.

His face lost its color.

His eyes lost their flames.

His heart stopped beating.

Alfred was awake.

And he'd heard _everything_.

**Meanwhile…**

"That's it!" Calder was sick of waiting for someone to bring his brother back. It's like people always say; if you want something done right, take the morons off the job, and do it yourself.

He swam as fast as he could toward the shore and launched himself onto the sand. His body quickly dried, and he stomped over to the huge rocks, which contained the clothes Francis had bought for them all.

After dressing, he pocketed some money left for him and went to the nearest antique store, where he bought a gold handheld mirror. Then he took back to the sea and dipped it into the water, making sure only his upper body stayed dry.

"Oh, Poseidon, here in daylight," he muttered under his breath as the water around the mirror began to bubble a little, and it glowed underwater. "Grant this mirror the power of sight. Give it the ability to truly know, all on the lands above, and in the seas below."

Below the water, there was a bright flash, and the water bubbled furiously before everything began to calm down. Soon, the bubbles and the glow had faded, and Calder took the mirror from the water and wiped the water on his shirt.

Taking a deep breath, he began to recite the spell:

"Mirror that I hold in me hand, reveal me brother, who walks on land."

Calder felt relief flood him when an image of a panic-stricken and flustered Arthur appeared in the glass. His brother was alive, and from the looks of the window in the image, still on the island. There were two, almost identical, human boys in the image. One had an amused expression, but the other's face was utterly blank.

Calder watched the image fade, and then he jammed the mirror in the black bag he'd also bought at the shop. Then he went into town.

He was _going_ to find his brother and bring him home, whether Arthur liked it or not.

**A/N: Poor Arthur… Would that count as humiliation? Oh, well…**

**Anyway, here's what Italy supposedly said:**

**(These translations are from Google Translate, so don't blame me if anything's wrong)**

**"_Grazie a Dio!"—"Thank God!"_**

**"_E'stato incredibile! Meraviglioso! Cosi buono!"—"That was amazing! Wonderful! So good!"_**

**Kinda sounds like Italy describing sex… _*__shudders*_**

**I really didn't need to think about that…**

**Well, goodbye! _Addio! (Italian) Au revoir! (French) Vale! (Latin) Do svidaniya! (Russian) Farvel! (Norwegian) Zaijian! (Traditional Chinese) Sayonara! (Japanese) Auf weidersehen! (German) Sudie! (Lithuanian) _"Goodbye" in any other language there is!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.**

Chapter 12

Nobody breathed. Nobody moved. They just _stood_ _still_.

Matthew, sensing the _extremely_ uncomfortable aura, slowly inched out of the room, not that Alfred and Arthur noticed; Alfred was too busy staring at Arthur, and Arthur was too busy having a heart attack—metaphorically speaking, of course.

"So…" Alfred glanced away. "That was…pretty funny, Artie…"

Arthur's eyes widened as he choked out, "F-Funny? You think I was _kidding_?" His heart began to fill with fire, but not the usual kind of fire he felt around Alfred. This fire he felt now didn't feel safe and in-control. It felt dangerous and out-of-control.

"Well, yeah…" Alfred blinked, realizing that he had just broken the eggshells he'd been walking on. "W-Weren't you…?"

"_No!"_ Arthur shook his head furiously and felt tears flood his eyes. "No, I wasn't, you bloody fucking _fool_! I wouldn't _lie_ about something like that; my people _can't_ lie about something like that!" Arthur lunged at Alfred, slamming into him so hard, the couch tipped over. Arthur pinned Alfred down and glared at him, the tears still pouring. "Why would I lie about that?"

Alfred, not understanding what was going on inside his own head, shrugged and whispered, "I don't know…"

"_Moron!"_ Arthur screamed, impulsively pulling his fist back and launching it Alfred's head.

Alfred's eyes widened and he winced, but he never felt the fist on his face. Instead, he cracked an eye open and glanced up. Arthur was leaning over him, trembling and sobbing, with his fist implanted in the carpet next to his head.

"Arthur… I didn't mean to—"

"Get out."

"Uh…excuse me?" Alfred chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood as he sat up and lifted Arthur from his lap. "This is my house, remember?"

Arthur raised his head and growled, "Get. Out." He was too angry to yell. He felt like Alfred had chewed up his heart and then spit it back in his face. But, despite that, Arthur found that he still loved Alfred, and that he'd probably never stop, even if Alfred didn't ever return his feelings. That's just how things worked for him…

Alfred nodded and scurried out of the room, running up the stairs, intending to go to his room. However, he was grabbed and pulled into his brother's room. As the door closed and locked, Alfred turned to look at Mattie, but was surprised to see that his brother had the Frenchman from last night sitting on his bed, shaking his head.

"Mattie, why's your friend here?" Alfred asked, confused and wary.

"He's here because he and I need to talk to you about Arthur." Matthew put a hand on his brother's shoulder and said, "Oh, and…he's like Arthur. Francis, that is." He gesture to the Frenchman.

It took Alfred a second to understand what Mattie was talking about, and when he did, he felt an unexplainable feeling of exasperation and anger well up inside him. "Really? Damn it, how many of you _are_ there?"

"Alfred, be nice! Francis wants to help you with your problem with Arthur!" Matthew smacked the back of his brother's head and glared at him.

Alfred grumbled something under his breath and muttered louder, "Fine. Sorry, Francis."

Francis shrugged it off and came up, putting an arm around Alfred in a brotherly way, since he was now part of Alfred's family—according to his people he was, anyway. "It's no problem, Alfred. Anyway, why don't you tell me what you did to make Arthur angry."

The room fell silent, and all three of the boys could hear Arthur sobbing in the living room, causing Alfred to feel unbelievably guilty. He hadn't meant to be so brutal with Arthur's heart…

"Well?" Francis pressed patiently, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me?"

Alfred glanced over at Matthew, expecting his brother to have his back and tell Francis that Alfred didn't have to say anything right now, but instead, Mattie had the same look on his face as the French merman.

"Well…Arthur told me he was in love with me—wait, no, that's not entirely true; it was more like he was yelling at Mattie about it, and then he noticed that I'd woken up. I thought he was joking about it so I told him that it was funny, what he'd just said, but then he started crying and yelling at me that he hadn't been joking, and that he really loved me. I was so shocked that I just let him pin me down and scream at me, and then I let him kick me out of the room." Alfred glanced away sheepishly, feeling more ashamed of himself than ever.

"_Mon Dieu," _Francis whispered, shaking his head. "This is _not_ good, not good at all." He sighed and closed his eyes in concentration. "All right, let me think for a moment."

Matthew and Alfred sat in silence, listening to Arthur's painful, heart-wrenching sobs. After a minute or two, Francis smiled and opened his eyes, looking pleased with himself.

"I've got it! Alfred, come here!" Francis eagerly gestured for Alfred to come closer to him, which the American did, only to have Francis slap him across the face.

"Ouch!" Alfred rubbed his sore cheek gently and glared at Francis, incredulous. "What the hell was that for?"

Francis crossed his arms. "That's for making _cher petit Arthur _cry! Now, on to my plan.

Arthur has been hurt physically, emotionally, _and_ mentally by his brothers ever since he was born, so you need to be sensitive with him. Saying even the slightest of wrong things can set him off like a time bomb, as you've seen. Now, would you like to tell me about how _you_ feel about Arthur?"

Alfred shifted nervously from foot to foot and tried to think of an answer. If he was being honest, he did kind of _like_ Arthur… He was a nice, cute, smart guy, and Alfred always thought it was hilarious whenever he flipped out over something so simple, or how Alfred would show him something in the human world, and he would fascinated with it for _days_. He made Alfred happy, he really did, but he could never have a normal relationship with Arthur, from either of their perspectives. He couldn't give Arthur babies, which is what Arthur had come here to get, and Arthur couldn't stay on land with Alfred forever, like Alfred wanted. Their relationship simply wouldn't work.

"I like Arthur," Alfred said softly after a minute. "I really do. I like him a lot, as more than a friend, and if I could, I probably _would_ _be_ in a relationship with him, despite me never being with a guy before, but it wouldn't work."

"What do you mean, 'it wouldn't work'?" Francis asked, using air quotes.

"He's a merman, like you! He told that he'll eventually _have_ to go back to the sea, and then I'll probably never see him again! Besides, I can't give him kids, like he probably wants! And yeah, he told me I can become like him, but it would only be temporary, and then _I'd_ be the one going home!"

"Oh, Alfred, you silly, stupid human," Francis muttered under his breath. "Just because Arthur has to come back home at some point doesn't mean he'll never come back to you. He loves you, and you're extremely important to him now. He doesn't want anyone else, and he never will; _of course_ he's going to come back! Just like I'll always come back to Matthieu." Francis smiled and put his arms around the blushing Canadian's waist.

Alfred froze, watching them, and everything came to him in a rush. He quickly forgot what they'd originally been talking about, and his overprotective nature for his brother seeped in. "Wait, so you're my brother's…um…"

"Mate, _nouveau frère_. Or I suppose you could say he's my husband, or my lover. Any of those work. Either way, he's mine, and I am his." Francis nuzzled the top of Matthew's head and smiled when Matthew tried to shove him away.

"Gross," Alfred muttered under his breath. "I don't need to see you trying to get it on with my brother, man."

"Yeah, Francis," Mattie agreed, managing to get Francis off of him. "You should listen to Alfred."

"Fine, fine." Francis dismissed the momentary rejection and returned to the original topic.

"Anyway, having a relationship with Arthur, despite being from two different worlds, should be fine. It won't be easy, but it will work out. Think of it this way: when he needs to go back to the sea, you can go with him, and when you need to return to land, he'll go with you. That would work out just fine."

"I guess…" _That's one problem fixed, _Alfred thought. "But what about kids?"

"You can adopt, just make sure you adopt merfolk, so that they won't be left alone on land when you two leave." When Alfred nodded in agreement, Francis continued. "Now, Matthew and I are going to leave through this window, which is how I got into the house. You and Arthur are going to stay here and work out your problems on your own. _Bonne chance_." With that being said, Francis and Mattie left out the window as quietly as they could, leaving Alfred alone in the house with a heartbroken Arthur.

**Meanwhile…**

_Nel profondo del mare, nuota una ragazza_

_I suoi bagliori capelli come una perla _

_La sua voce brilla come l'oro prezioso _

_E il suo cuore e tutt'altro che freddo _

_Lei e la sirena, grande e libera_

_Nascondere nel profondo il mare  
_

Feliciano stopped singing as he noticed his older brother, Lovino, pop his head out of the water. Feliciano had been sitting on a rock with Elizabeta; she was lying on her stomach beside him, head propped up on her forearms, while he pulled a comb through her long, silky brown hair, watching the gems fall and tumble into the bag he'd placed beside her. Now her hair was tangle-free, but he just liked watching the water droplets turn to gems so much that he kept combing. (Besides, he could give them to Ludwig later.)

Lovino was Feliciano's twin, but he was still older than him by a good five minutes. Lovino's skin was a bit more olive than his own, and his hair was browner than Feliciano's ginger-brunette hair, but his eyes were the same amber shade, and he was lithe like Feliciano. However, where Feliciano had a shimmering _orange_ tail, Lovino had a glimmering _purple_ tail.

"Ve~! Good afternoon, Lovino!" Feliciano smiled and waved at his brother as Lovino swam closer. "Did you find the things I asked for?"

"Of course I did, you idiot! But do I really want to know why you need an octopus and a jar?" Lovino glared at his brother as he handed him the struggling octopus and the old jar.

"It's for Ludwig! He's a doctor, and I thought he'd like me more if I brought him some painkillers!" Feliciano went to work on trying to make the octopus release its ink into the jar. When trying to "milk" it like he'd seen humans do to cows didn't work, he screamed at it, causing it to release ink into the jar. He continued to do this until the jar was full, and then he threw the octopus back into the water and put the cap on the jar.

Elizabeta smiled. She was happy Feliciano had found his One, even if it be a human. She, on the other hand, was having a hard time choosing between Roderich and Gilbert. She wanted them both, loved them both, but only the Queen of Merfolk could have more than one husband, and she was most certainly not the queen.

Lovino, on the other hand, was constantly being pursued by a merman named Antonio, despite how many times he'd rejected the Spanish fool. And Yao, Emiko's older brother, was even pickier than the Kirkland brothers, and had refused to even _try_ to woo anyone when his generation swam to Florida, but eventually, he'd decided to give in and be in some form of a relationship with Ivan. Also, Irunya, Ivan and Natalia's older sister, was too shy to mate, but both she and Ivan had decided to bring Natalia to the warmer waters to keep an eye on her, since she could be even scarier than Ivan sometimes.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure the bastard will just adore you," Lovino spit out in an acidly sarcastic voice.

"Oh, Lovino! Where are you, my little Italian prince? I just found the prettiest seashell, and I thought you should have it!" Antonio called out as he swam closer.

"Damn it! The Spanish bastard found me!" Without another word, Lovino dove under the water and swam away as fast as he could.

**Meanwhile…**

"Mirror that I hold in me hand, reveal me brother, who walks on land." Calder glared at the mirror impatiently, as if he would do something terrible to it if it didn't do what he wanted it to. He was at the International Café, a bottle of beer in his hand, two other empty bottles off to the side, waiting to be picked up by the waitress.

Arthur's image appeared, but this time he was on a floor, crying his beautiful green eyes out, and no one was helping him.

Calder snarled as the image faded, and his grip on the bottle tightened so much, he almost broke it in his fist. "Don't worry Arthur," he muttered under his breath as he waved a waitress over for his check and put the mirror away. "You'll be home soon."

**A/N: I am officially on summer break! Woohoo! I just had to update this out of sheer happiness! Summer! Summer! Summer!**

**Anyway, according to Google Translate, here's what Italy was singing:**

**Deep in the sea, swims a girl**

**Her hair glimmers like a pearl**

**Her voice shines like precious gold**

**And her heart is anything but cold**

**She is a mermaid, great and free**

**Hiding deep within the sea**

**And what France said to America:**

**Nouveau frère: new brother**

**Bonne chance: good luck**

**Well, that's all. Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, America and Britain would definitely be together by now.**

Chapter 13

Alfred peeked down the staircase. Arthur was still on the ground, but now he was curled up into a ball, and his sobbing had ceased and been replaced by quiet, sad little whimpers. Alfred walked quietly down the stairs and kneeled at Arthur's side. He reached out and began to comfortingly rub his back, causing the British merman to flinch and look up. His eyes—bloodshot from his sobbing and tired-looking—grew as hard and cold as stones when he saw Alfred.

"What do you want?" he muttered, rolling away from Alfred. "Come to destroy more of my heart?"

"Uh…no, not exactly. Listen Arthur, I didn't mean to be so cruel to you, so why don't you let me make it up to you?" Alfred watched Arthur shift a little and look over his shoulder at him, his expression guarded and curious. His plan was working so far…

"And how do you plan to do that?" Arthur demanded, raising an eyebrow. "By making me watch more _SpongeBob_, or feeding me disgustingly greasy hamburgers?"

"No." Alfred scooted closer and smiled down at him gently. He pulled Arthur into his lap, despite the protesting he received. "I'm going to let you go home without me protesting, or making you feel guilty about leaving me here alone, or anything else. If you want to, you can even hop up and run back to the sea right now. I'm not gonna stop you." Alfred let go of Arthur and gestured to the unlocked front door.

"Why?" Arthur glanced back and forth between Alfred and the door, confused. Why did Alfred suddenly feel so comfortable with him going back to the ocean? A few days ago, he would've thrown his arms around Arthur and begged and pleaded with him not to go until Arthur gave in.

"Well, I…" Alfred blushed and glanced away, nervous. He coughed awkwardly and continued. "I love you, Arthur, I really do. And they say that if you love something, you have to let it go, and if it comes back, then it's meant to be yours, and if it doesn't, then it never was yours. So go back to the sea, and if you want to come back, I'll be here waiting."

The room was quiet for a minute as Arthur stared at Alfred—who had his eyes closed, waiting for Arthur to run to the beach—in disbelief. Arthur's brain was slowly processing what Alfred had just said, and when he finally understood, he felt tears of joy fill his eyes. He smiled and threw his arms tightly around Alfred, refusing to let go of him, even if Alfred begged him to.

Alfred loved him back! To Arthur, this was the best news he'd ever received, and it meant that everything was right with the universe. Arthur's heart thundered in his chest as he pressed as close to Alfred as he could get without _becoming_ Alfred. At that moment, nothing else mattered but Alfred, his dear, beautiful Alfred. His mate. His _everything_.

"Aren't you gonna go?" Alfred asked, relieved that Arthur was still there, but also confused as to why he didn't take such a great offer.

Arthur shook his head and looked at Alfred determinedly. "I'll only go if you go with me. Otherwise, I'm staying." He smirked and kissed Alfred's cheek. "You're stuck with me either way."

Alfred feigned fear and horror. "Oh, no! Anything but that, Artie, _please_!"

The couple laughed and stared at each other happily for a little while before Alfred decided to break the silence.

"I really do love you, Arthur, but honestly… You should go back, at least for a little while. I don't want something bad to happen to your health or anything. You _need_ the sea, because it's part of you." He smiled at Arthur's sad expression. "Like I said, I'll be here waiting."

"And like _I_ said," Arthur began, tightening his hold on Alfred, "I'm not going without you."

"But, Arthur—"

"Enough, Alfred. I'm not leaving, and I'm not going to ask you to drop everything—your studies, your friends, Matthew—and come with me, for possibly months on end, into the ocean, so you can just forget about it. I'll go back when my body's dragging me back." Arthur had never insisted on anything as seriously as he was now.

Alfred sighed. It was obvious he wasn't going to get his way, so he decided to hoist them to their feet and get started on dinner. "Fine," he agreed as he pulled a pot from one of the cupboards over the stove, one of Arthur's arms still around his waist. "I'm not gonna force you to go. Just think about it, okay?"

Arthur nodded, having no intention of doing so. Like he had said, he'd go back when his body was dragging him back.

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig was glad to finally be back in his office. He was sitting at his desk, looking over the medical files for a patient who had the flu, when Miss Karpusi walked in, a smile on her face.

"Dr. Beilschmidt, there's a visitor for you," she said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Is it a personal visitor or a patient?" Ludwig asked, not looking up from the paperwork.

"Uh… I'd say a personal visitor."

Ludwig sighed, thinking it was probably his father, come to yell at him for not asking for more days off.

_Why can't the old man understand that I like working?,_ Ludwig thought. He was tempted to tell Miss Karpusi to tell the visitor to go away, but he knew that doing something like that would just get him yelled at _even more_ later. So, he gave Miss Karpusi the signal to let the visitor in. He stood up, adjusted his tie, smoothed out his lab coat, cleared his throat, and opened his eyes to see—

"Feliciano? What are you doing here? And why are you carrying a jar of ink?" Ludwig stared at the Italian in confusion.

Feliciano was holding a jar of ink in one hand, and in the other, he held a take-out bag from the International Café. He wore a clean, white, button-down shirt, fresh blue jeans, and a pair of black Vans. He reminded Ludwig of a teenage boy showing up at his girlfriend's house for a casual date.

"It's octopus ink, Ludwig! It's used as a painkiller where I come from!" Feliciano smiled and put the ink on Ludwig's desk before looking around. His expression quickly turned to confusion.

_What kind of doctor doesn't have eels, jellyfish, shark teeth, or octopus ink? And what's in all these cabinets? _Feliciano reached for the knob of one of the cabinets, but was stopped by Ludwig.

"Feliciano, that has surgery equipment in it, that I'd rather you not touch. Who knows what would happen if you did… Anyway, thanks for the ink…I guess…but I've got to get back to work, so if that's—"

Feliciano jumped up, wrapping his legs around Ludwig's waist and his arms around Ludwig's neck. He leaned forward and pecked Ludwig sweetly on the lips before jumping off and smiling up at him.

Ludwig stood there, his face beet-red, his eyes wide, as his brain struggled to comprehend what'd just happened. Feliciano had just…kissed him.

Feliciano had just kissed him.

_Feliciano had just kissed him!_

Feli blinked, a little confused, and stared at Ludwig. Why did Ludwig look like he was in pain? Had having Feliciano jump on him been painful?

"Feliciano," Ludwig finally managed to choke out, "I have work that I need to get back to, but I don't have a late shift tonight. Here." He wrote down his address on the back of one of his business cards and handed it to the merman. "Put that somewhere safe and come to my house around seven-thirty tonight. We'll talk then, okay?"

Feliciano nodded and put the card in his pocket, reminding himself to stay human all day.

**Meanwhile…**

"Francis…why did you bring me to a pond in the woods?" Matthew glanced down at the small, crystal-clear pond in front of him. After leaving Arthur and Alfred alone, Francis had pulled him into the woods, refusing to say a word about where they were going.

"You'll see!" Francis smiled and tore off his clothes before jumping into the water, splashing Mattie in the process. A moment later, his head popped out, and then his shiny red tail as well. He held out a hand to the Canadian and smiled reassuringly. "Come in, _mon cher_, I promise you that you'll be fine."

Matthew watched Francis cautiously as he stripped, removing his glasses as well, and jumped in the water. He had just caught his breath after resurfacing when Francis dove under the water and pulled him under with him. Matthew began to panic, thrashing around and trying to get away. He didn't understand what was happening, and he wanted his sweet oxygen back.

Francis managed to hold Matthew still long enough to wrap his tail around the boy's legs and lean forward, placing his lips over Matthew's. He wasn't trying to drown Matthew, truly he wasn't! He was making Matthew like him. He pressed as close to the calming boy as he could, using the kiss to share who he truly was with Matthew.

Francis began to glow, and he could feel a fraction of the part of him that made him merman when wet and human when dry shift into Matthew with the kiss, making Matthew glow as well. With the change already happening, Francis drew back, arms still around Matthew, and watched, fascinated, as Matthew's body took on the change.

Gills protruded from Matthew's neck, and the soft skin of his lower body turned to smooth, shiny lavender scales as his legs combined to create a graceful fishtail. As the two of them stopped glowing, Matthew looked around, his eyes widening. He could see way more clearly in the water now, as if he'd been able to all his life. But he didn't feel as at-home as Francis probably did at the moment, but still… He felt closer to Francis than he ever had, because now had Francis not only seen life through the eyes of a human with him, but now he was seeing life through the eyes of a merman with Francis.

However, when he opened his mouth to speak, he found that all that came out was bubbles, and all that went in was water, which—thankfully—didn't cause him to drown. He looked at Francis sadly, and the French merman understood immediately. He made a gesture for Matthew to stay where he was before he swam to the surface. He was gone for about five minutes before he returned with a conch shell. He pressed it to Matthew's ear and smiled.

Matthew's eyes grew even wider as he listened.

"_We merfolk use conch shells or telepathy to communicate underwater, although we mostly use telepathy for communicating with peers, and conchs for communicating with our undersea pets, like dolphins, otters, sea horses, etc., since they can hold words or commands that we speak for days until the animal understands it."_

As Francis pulled the conch away, Matthew decided to test out the telepathy thing.

_If we're telepathic, Francis, then why did you use a conch shell to tell me that?_

_Because it is such a fun way to speak to you, mon etoile de mer!_

Matthew rolled his eyes, but smiled and let Francis kiss his cheek. When Francis' voice from the conch shell had rung in his ear, his voice had gained an echolike quality, and it was the same when they'd been speaking telepathically.

**Meanwhile…**

Lovino peered around a seaweed-covered rock in the tide pools. He figured he'd lost Antonio about an hour ago, but just to be sure…

"Lovino, I've found you!"

Lovino screamed and tried to dive down, only to have Antonio grab his tail and pull him back up and onto the rock beside him. In order to keep Lovino from getting away, Antonio put his arms around Lovino's upper body, and wrapped his tail around Lovino's.

Antonio was a handsome young merman, with clear, lightly tanned skin, and a more muscular physique than Lovino, though not by much. His hair was short, dark brown, and somewhat curly, even when wet. His eyes were a deep green, similar to Arthur's, but Antonio's green looked more like sunlit, underwater seaweed than sparkling emeralds. He had a bronze tail that shimmered copper and gold in the sunlight, and he wore a gold armband on his left tricep. What unnerved Lovino most about him, but what also something Lovino admired most about him, was that Antonio was almost always happy, not matter what happened. (For example, when his pet otter ran away, he said it probably went off to start a family.)

"What do you want, you crazy Spanish man?" Lovino grumbled as he watched his purple tail and Antonio's bronze tail gleam together in the sunlight.

"Only you, my dear Lovino, but you keep running!" Antonio thought over his words. "Well, technically, you keep swimming, but…"

Lovino growled under his breath and glared at Antonio. "Fine! If I help you look for dinner tonight, will you leave me alone for a week?"

Antonio nodded eagerly before reaching up and placing a shell gently in Lovino's hair. The shell was the in the same color family as Lovino's tail, and complimented it very well, which made Lovino blush; however, blushing and feeling flustered just made him angrier.

"Why would you put such a useless thing in my hair? Do I look like a mermaid to you? Don't answer that! And also…!"

But Antonio simply sat there, laughing the entire time Lovino was ranting, which only made him even _angrier_.

**Later, at Alfred's house…**

"Alfred, what's a 'date'?" Arthur asked as he watched TV, confused as to why the two teenagers on the screen where alone in a restaurant together, after the girl had told her parents she was going on a "date" with the boy across from her.

Alfred looked up from his Superman comic book to explain. "A date is when two people who like or love each other get together for some alone to get to know each other better. Why?"

"Oh, that's sounds interesting," Arthur said sincerely. He'd been on land for about three or four weeks now, and yet he still learned something new about the human race every day. "We should go on one, Alfred. A date, I mean."

"Uh… Sure, I guess. Where do you want to go?" Alfred asked a little nervously, putting his comic book down.

Arthur tried to think of something, but couldn't. He didn't have a particular likeness for movies, since they all always seemed to have something cheesy and obvious in common in their plots, no matter what the genre. And human food wasn't that bad, though the way they combined some seafood—like squid ink, which was actually a painkiller to him—with their normal food—like spaghetti noodles—was just disturbing.

"Hey, I know!" Alfred grabbed the newspaper that he'd seen Mattie reading earlier of the coffee table and pointed to an ad for the Salvation Island Fair. "We could go here! It opens tomorrow at five, and doesn't close until, like, one in the morning! It's so much fun there! Can we go, Artie, please?" Alfred gave Arthur his best puppy-dog look, still pointing to a colorful, fun-looking picture of the fair.

"Well, what the bloody hell is it?" Arthur asked, somewhat wary of this event that Alfred seemed to love so much.

"It's called a fair," Alfred explained, thinking over his adventures at said fair ever since arriving on Salvation two years ago. "Every year, Salvation holds a fair for each season: there's the autumn Harvest Fair, the winter Christmas Fair, the spring Nature Fair, and the summer Salvation Island Fair! And all of them are really fun to go to! Like at the Harvest Fair, you can bob for apples and watch plays; or at the Christmas Fair, you can enter a snowman-building competition and when a hundred bucks; and at the Nature Fair, you can play with cute baby animals and buy flowers; and usually at the Salvation Island Fair, there's a lot of rides and games, and sugary food, and even a fireworks display at the end of each night. But on the last night, they bring the really awesome fireworks, and perform a lot of cool circus tricks, like tightrope walking, and eating swords, and all that other cool stuff."

Arthur's eyes had been shining with marvel the entire time he'd been listening to Alfred talk, and even he would admit, all of that did sound rather fun. As Alfred finished, he nodded and said, "All right, Alfred, I get it. We'll go there tomorrow when it opens, okay?"

Alfred smiled and threw his arms around Arthur. "We'll have so much fun, Artie! You'll see!"

**Meanwhile…**

Calder stared down at the enchanted mirror in his hand. He was considering using it, but he'd thought of something earlier. Yes, the mirror was showing him that his brother was, thankfully, still alive, but it wasn't telling him _where_ Arthur _was_. And, in reality, that's what he _really_ needed to know. But no mirror could show him that, sadly. It could only show him that Arthur was alive, and that was comforting enough.

"Mirror that I hold in me hand, reveal me brother, who walks on land."

The mirror glowed, as usual, and soon, Calder was staring at Arthur, who was sitting on a couch next to an unfamiliar human. On the outside, Arthur looked better than when Calder had checked on him earlier; he wasn't sobbing, or lying on the ground. But Calder knew better. He could see that Arthur's health was slowly—_very_ slowly—dwindling, and that if he didn't return to the sea soon, there was a possibility that Arthur would never be the same again.

"Humans are sick," he muttered under his breath as he glared at the image of Alfred. "Poor Artie, locked up in that house with that idiot, like Rapunzel locked away in a tower with the witch." He growled, angry with not only Alfred, but his own incompetence. He needed to find Arthur soon, or he could very well die.

Then what would he tell Braeden, Aiden, William, and their mother?

"_Sorry, Mum, but your wee baby Arthur got carried away by humans, and I couldn't get 'im back. Do ya forgive me for letting yer youngest die?"_

His family would never forgive him if he let Arthur die. He would get Arthur back, not only because he _wanted_ to, but because he _needed_ to. It was his duty to his family, which _included_ Arthur.

**A/N: Wow, after reading over the beginning of this chapter—and a few other scenes—I just realized that I made this really cheesy. Oh, well, nothing I can do about it now!**

**Oh, and since I thought something in there—Arthur's family—is a little confusing, here:**

**Calder—Scotland**

**Aiden—Northern Ireland**

**Braeden—Ireland**

**William—Wales**

**Lydelle (Arthur's mother)—Avalon, Albion, Celtic Britain… There are a lot of names for the UK Brothers' mother, so I just decided to list the three I most often see used, but I'm sure there's more.**

**And what France called Canada:**

**"Mon etoile de mer"—"My starfish"**

**Oh, and am I the only one that thinks Canada as a merman is adorable?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

Chapter 14

Feliciano had a bit of difficulty finding Ludwig's house, despite having a card with the address on it, but after some help from a very nice police officer, it had been as easy finding the German doctor's house as it was eating pasta. (Which he'd been stuffing himself with for _hours_ after leaving Ludwig's office.) He knocked on the door, nervous as could be. He wasn't going to apologize for kissing Ludwig, but he at least wanted to know if it would be okay for him to do it again.

Ludwig opened the door and let the Italian merman in, gesturing to the dark blue leather couch. "Have a seat, Feliciano. I was just making wurst; would you like some?"

Feliciano shook his head and quickly sat down, folding his hands neatly in his lap. He looked anywhere but at Ludwig, who simply shrugged off the weird behavior and strolled back into the kitchen.

_Ve~! Ludwig's house is so clean!, _Feliciano thought as he glanced around. Indeed, Ludwig's house was spotless, right down to the last centimeter of a corner.

The living room walls were painted a sky-blue, and the carpet was a darker blue, like the sea. Next to the couch sat a tall, glass shelf filled with knickknacks: small porcelain statues, a phone, a clock, some important-looking files, and even a few pictures. In one particular picture, Feliciano saw a little boy—no more than ten—reaching up for a smiling man that bared a great resemblance to Ludwig.

In the picture, the little boy was a little pudgy, with creamy pale skin and eyes as beautifully blue as Ludwig's. He wore a black T-shirt, jeans, and his feet were bare. The two appeared to be in a park or a backyard anyway. His hair was blonde and cut short, the tips of the bangs falling to the middle of his forehead. He looked so happy to be reaching for the man, who sat about three feet away from the boy, cross-legged.

The man in the picture looked strong, tall, and intimidating. Like the little boy, his skin was pale, and he had ice-blue eyes as well. His blonde hair was shade or two paler than Ludwig's, and fell just passed his shoulders, and had a small braid in it. He wore a long-sleeved, slightly loose-fitting green shirt and blue jeans; like the little boy, he was barefoot. He was smiling and reaching for the little boy, his arms outstretched widely.

"Now, Feliciano, about what happened at the office," Ludwig began as he walked into the room, only to stop talking when he saw the picture Feliciano was looking at. "So you found that picture, did you?"

"Who are these people?" Feliciano asked happily, loving how cute the little boy looked; sadly, though, he was as oblivious as ever.

"That's me as a little boy, you _dummkopf_," Ludwig said as he pointed to the little boy in the picture, and then himself. "And that's my father, Emory."

"Why isn't your mother in the picture?" Feliciano asked, remembering his own mother, and how she used to have such a beautiful smile.

"She was the one taking the picture," Ludwig said, taking the picture away from the merman and sitting down next to him. "So, as I was saying," he began again, making sure Feliciano was paying attention. "You can't just jump up on people and kiss them, Feliciano, no matter how much you want to. You have to wait for them to give you permission to do so, understand?"

Feliciano nodded sadly. "So…does that mean you're angry with me?"

"No, it doesn't. I was just surprised, is all."

The merman immediately perked up and smiled. "Oh, well then can I kiss you now?"

"_What? No!"_

Feliciano pouted and looked away. The kicked-puppy expression just made Ludwig fell guilty, so be grudgingly muttered, "Fine, but only on the cheek!"

"Ve~! Thanks, Luddy!"

"'Luddy'?" Ludwig glared at Feliciano as the merman leaned forward and pecked both of his cheeks before pulling away and jumping into his lap.

"Can we have pasta now? Please! I heard of this really good place in town that makes pasta! Can we please go—"

"My wurst is still cooking…and you're crushing my pelvis!"

**Meanwhile…**

Matthew stared down at his lavender tail in wonder. He felt so…_strange_. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what people who only had one leg felt like. He was well aware of the fish part of his body, with its gleaming scales and its whole "moving as one" thing. He bit his lip and swished his tail, smiling when Francis swam down and started to tickle it.

_Don't! I don't know what I'm doing yet!,_ Matthew thought, wrapping his tail around Francis' neck and squeezing a little, his smile growing wider when Francis' blue eyes bulged a bit.

Francis struggled free and glared playfully up at Matthew, wrapping his own tail around Matthew's and pulling him deeper into the water with him. _You're thinking too much,_ Francis thought, pulling him down onto the soft sand, where they sat together. _Just let your newfound instincts tell you what to do._

Matthew nodded and looked down at his tail. He slowly flexed the muscles in it, lifting it off the sand and back down again, repeating this motion until he was doing it at a pace that was slowly pulling him off the pond's sandy floor. When he stopped the motion, he fell back into the sand.

_I think I understand now,_ he thought to Francis, doing the motions over again. _But how much longer do we have to stay out here? For all we know, it could take days for Alfred and Arthur to make up!_

_Wait, we just want them to make up? I thought we also wanted them to screw each other's brains out._

_Francis! Gross!_

Francis could only laugh in his head about that.

_But seriously, how are we gonna know when to go back?_

_You're brother will probably text you or something. In fact, it might be wise to check your phone now._

_Okay._

Matthew swam to the surface and dried off his hands with his sweatshirt before grabbing his phone out of his pant's front pocket. As he unlocked the phone, the screen said that he had two new text messages from Alfred.

_Alfred: Mattie! Arthur and I are going on a date tomorrow! We're going to the fair!_

_Alfred: You and Francis should come to! TTYL!_

Matthew smiled, pleased that his brother had gotten everything out into the open with Arthur. As Francis' head broke the surface, he began to text back.

_Mattie: That's great, Al! I'll ask Francis and text you his answer later. TTYL!_

"Well?" Francis asked as Matthew hit "Send". "What's going on with those two?"

"Alfred and Arthur are going on a date tomorrow," Matthew said happily, putting his phone back in his pants. "And one of his texts said we should come with them. What'd ya say?"

Francis thought about. He'd seen human fairs before, and they always seemed to be a lot of fun, but he'd never been in one before. "Will I need money?"

"I'll bring enough for both of us."

"Is there a chance that the true forms of myself and Arthur will be revealed?"

"So long as you don't spill soda on yourself or get to close to the dunk tank, I think you'll be fine."

"Will there be food?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm in."

Matthew smiled and began texting his brother again.

_Mattie: We're in. We'll be back in an hour or two. Francis showed me something really cool._

_Alfred: Ok, Mattie! You two have fun! ;)_

_Mattie: No, Al! It's not like that! :(_

_Alfred: Sure it's not… ;)_

_Mattie: Al, knock it off! :(_

_Alfred: Fine, fine! TTYL!_

**Meanwhile…**

Arthur watched Alfred laugh his head off as he tortured his brother via cell phone. He was about to ask Alfred what was so funny when Alfred turned his phone off and tossed it onto a nearby chair.

"Mattie and some French merman named Francis are going to the fair with us tomorrow," he said as he pulled Arthur into his lap.

Arthur snorted at the mention of Francis. "Oh, _joy_!" he spit out sarcastically. "I can't _wait_ to see that bloody frog-eater again."

Alfred laughed and snuggled up with Arthur on the couch, much to the protesting Brit's embarrassment.

**The next day, at five…**

"Are you sure this is suppose to be _fun_, Alfred?" Arthur asked as they walked across the fairground's parking lot to the actual fair itself. "It looks a little…dangerous." He stared uneasily up at the Ferris wheel, which turned agonizingly slowly, and then sped up just a bit. Then he glanced at something called The Zipper, which appeared to be a ride where two people got in a cubby-like thing, and when the ride started, the machine would turn in a circle while the cubbies on it did the same thing. To Arthur, it looked like it was designed to make you puke, and he winced and rubbed his stomach.

_Good thing we didn't eat before we came here,_ he thought, watching another ride with swings on it spin people around in a quick circle.

"Don't worry, Artie," Alfred said comfortingly, putting an arm around Arthur's shoulders. "Nobody's ever died or gotten hurt on these things; I checked. And the last time someone puked on one was fifty years ago, and the ride's gone anyway."

"How charming," Arthur muttered under his breath as the four of them got in line for their tickets.

Once the tickets were bought, the four of them stood in the middle of the huge fair, a map in Alfred's hand, and an extra one—just in case Alfred lost his, which was possible—in Matthew's hand.

"Why don't we split up, eh?" Matthew said as he pointed to a picture of the spinning teacups on his map. "Francis and I will go on the Teacups, and you can show Arthur the animals." Matthew had always found it a little funny that this place had spinning teacups, like Disneyland.

Alfred smiled and folded up his own map, shoving it in his pocket. "That's a great idea, Mattie! Let's say we meet back here in four hours for something to eat, 'kay?"

Matthew nodded and pulled a grinning Francis off to find the Teacups. Alfred, on the other hand, pulled Arthur off to find the animals.

"You'll love the animals, Arthur! There's tigers, monkeys, sheep… All kinds of animals! And the babies are so cute, too!"

While Alfred chattered on and on about adorable baby animals, Arthur glanced around him, felling a little more comfortable in his new surrounding, now that he'd gotten a better look at it.

The rides were tall, proud things that actually looked fun now, and there were tents all around, filled with fun-looking games and stuffed animals, and—

"Alfred, stop!" Arthur said excitedly, yanking the American to a stop. He stared, wide-eyed, at ring toss game, where one of the prizes closest to the bottom of the shelf was a white stuffed unicorn with a blue mane and a silver horn.

"What is it?" Alfred looked over at where Arthur was staring and smiled. "You wanna play?"

"I would probably fail," Arthur muttered, still in awe of the pretty little toy. "We _have_ sports in the ocean, you know; I was just never any good at them."

"Well, I'm pretty good at those games," Alfred said, taking a step forward. "Why don't we give it a shot?"

Arthur nodded eagerly and let Alfred bring him over to the game. Alfred handed the guy on the other side of the counter three bucks, and then grabbed five rings. Arthur crossed his fingers behind his back as Alfred's eyes narrowed in concentration. Then, probably too fast for Arthur's eyes to follow, Alfred three the ring at the table of bottles.

"Yes!" Alfred smiled and fist-pumped as the ring landed securely around the neck of one of the glass bottles. He then threw the second, the third, the fourth, and then the fifth… Each time, he got the same result as the first.

The guy running the game stared at the ring-covered glass bottles in shock before turning to stare at Alfred with the same surprised look. "Uh…congratulations…?" he said, his voice sounding like he was asking a question rather than giving praise. "Anyway…which prize do you want? You can have any of them." He gestured modestly to the iPhone 4S. "I suggest this; it's awesome."

Arthur shook his head and wordlessly pointed to the unicorn toy like a spoiled little girl would. Alfred noticed and nodded, pointing to it as well.

The guy stared at them like they were crazy, but confusedly handed Arthur the toy anyway.

As they walked away, Alfred looked down at the toy Arthur was now cuddling, and then at Arthur. "So, why did you want the unicorn?"

"Unicorns are a symbol of purity, and they say that you can only see things like unicorns and fairies if you're pure of heart. I used to be able to see them on land, but now I never do. I still don't know what made them flee from me, but it doesn't matter now; I've got you, and I've got this toy." Arthur smiled and stood on the tips of his toes, kissing Alfred's lips quickly before leaning back down and cuddling the toy again.

Alfred rolled his eyes but wrapped his arm around Arthur's shoulders again. "Now can we go see the animals?"

"Of course we can, love!"

**Meanwhile…**

"Ve~! That was fun, Ludwig! I'm glad that I convinced you to take me to this sparkly place! And they have pasta!" Feliciano smiled as he and Ludwig got off the Ferris wheel.

"Yes, well, I like it here myself. In fact"—Ludwig glanced around, remembering how his parents used to bring him here every summer—"it's been awhile since I've been here. I've forgotten how colorful and loud it is." He smiled at Feliciano. "But I guess I still like it."

Feliciano laughed and brought Ludwig over to a water gun game; the kind where your objective is to fill up the balloon as fast as you can, and if it pops, you get a prize.

Ludwig won, of course, and gave Feliciano a stuffed orange cat, which he cuddled and named "Pasta".

"What should we do next, Ludwig?" Feliciano looked around, and before Ludwig could answer, Feliciano said, "Let's got look at the art!"

With a sigh, Ludwig allowed Feliciano to drag him off in the direction of the Art Tent.

**Meanwhile…**

"Alfred, you look so adorable with that cub," Arthur cooed as Alfred fed the tiger cub milk, cradling it like it was a human baby. But watching Alfred care for the cub so tenderly it made Arthur's chest ache, because although he loved Alfred with everything he'd been, is, and ever would be, he still wanted adorable little merbabies. But he and Alfred were both men, so neither could carry and birth a child.

But he did his best to picture what a child born to him and Alfred would look like; in his imagination, he saw a baby with Alfred's sandy-blonde hair, Alfred's skin tone, and Alfred's eyes.

_Oh, Poseidon,_ he thought, fighting back tears. _If it were possible, I would plead with you to bless me with Alfred's child, whether it be a boy or a girl._

"You want to try?" Alfred asked as he held out the cub to Arthur, smiling. "It's easy, dude, really." Alfred carefully positioned Arthur's arms with one hand before placing the cub in his arms and smiling.

At first, Arthur almost dropped the thing, but after a moment, he began to hold the small, furry, warm body close to him as if he'd been holding babies his whole life. And, in a way, he had. Merfolk had a belief that if you were unmated, you either had to help look after little ones—whether they be from your family or a neighbor's—or help take care of your parents, if they needed it. But Arthur, since he had four older brothers ahead of him, wasn't usually picked that often to look after merbabies, so he'd spent a lot of time running errands for his mother. Every now and then he got to watch after merbabies, but not as often as Calder, or one of the twins—Aiden and Braeden—did; in fact, his older brother William even had more experience with children than himself, but he still wanted some of his own, like they would all have.

Alfred noticed that Arthur looked a little crestfallen and blinked confusedly. "You okay, Artie? You look sad…"

Arthur, a terrible liar, shook his head and tried to deny it. "What are you talking about, you git? I'm fine." However, he himself didn't even notice that his grip tightened just the tiniest bit on the tiger cub—still drinking from its bottle—in his arms. When Alfred didn't buy it, Arthur gestured with the tiger cub, referring to what it was doing and how he was holding it, hoping Alfred could get the message.

After a minute of staring blankly at Arthur, Alfred's eyes finally lit up understandingly, and he smiled. "Francis said we could adopt merbabies, Arthur."

"We could," Arthur agreed in the whisper, stroking the cub's fur, "but it wouldn't be the same. The baby wouldn't really be ours. It wouldn't have our DNA, our genes. To me, it would basically feel like we were babysitting it until it mated and had a family. And its children wouldn't be _our_ grandchildren. It just wouldn't feel the same as it would if we managed to have babies of our own."

"But you would still love the merbaby we adopted, wouldn't you?" Alfred asked. He knew _he_ would, but he wasn't so sure about Arthur, what with how sad he looked, and the way he was talking.

"Of course I would," Arthur replied, almost hurt. "But I wouldn't love it as much as I would love a baby that's truly _ours_, that came from _us_." Arthur watched the baby tiger finish the last of the milk before he took the bottle away and handed the cub and bottle back to Alfred, who took the cub and bottle back to the volunteer zookeeper.

**Later, around nine…**

"So, how's your date going so far, guys?" Matthew asked as he, Alfred, Arthur, and Francis sat down at a table and drank milkshakes.

Alfred glanced over at Arthur, who—though much happier now—was still a little sad about the whole baby thing.

_Good thing he's got that toy unicorn,_ Alfred thought, at the same time that he said, "It's going pretty good. I won Arthur that little toy unicorn he's holding, and we just got off the Yo-Yo, which was fun. What about you guys?"

"It's been great," Francis replied, lacing his fingers with Matthew's under the table, causing the Canadian to blush. "After we got off the Teacups, we went through the Tunnel of Love—"

"Where you tried to grope me to death," Matthew muttered under his breath, glaring over at Francis.

Francis shrugged it off, but didn't continue.

"Well, the first round of fireworks is gonna start soon, and the best seat in the house is usually the top of the Ferris wheel," Alfred began, slurping down the last bit of vanilla milkshake in his cup. "So I arranged for the Ferris wheel to stop when Arthur and I get up there."

"Well, then you guys better hurry," Matthew said, checking his phone for the time. "Because the display starts in five minutes."

"_What?" _Alfred cried as he grabbed his brother's phone, just to make sure Mattie wasn't messing with him. "I thought we had more time! C'mon, Artie, we gotta go!" Alfred grabbed Arthur, and before anyone could do anything else, dragged him off to the Ferris wheel, as quickly as possible.

Arthur almost choked on what was left of his strawberry shake, but allowed Alfred to tug to the tall ride. _What could possibly be so important about this "Ferris wheel" thing?, _Arthur thought, annoyed. _And why does he want me to see the fireworks so badly?_

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig glanced at his watch. He'd been in the Art Tent with Feliciano for four hours, but he had to admit, he didn't really mind, although he would've preferred to have been in the Medical Studies Tent. Feliciano was getting a picture painted—rather nicely, actually—of himself as a merman with a shiny orange tail. The only thing left of the picture to paint was Feli's eyes, which were as amber and golden as the tail.

In the painting, Feliciano was sitting on a rock in the sunshine, his long tail gleaming gold. He was smiling up at the sky, holding a handful of gold coins in one hand and a pink starfish in the other. He was surrounded by blue, crystalline water, and the last few inches of his tail even fell into said water. It was a beautiful painting, Ludwig would admit, and it was even more beautiful now that the painter was finishing with Feli's eyes.

"It's done!" the painter said, her brown eyes shining at the masterpiece she's just created.

"_E'splendida!" _Feliciano cheered when he saw it. "Incredible! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. But I'd wait till after the fireworks display to touch it, since some areas are still wet. It should take about an hour for them to dry, so I'll keep it here, okay?"

Ludwig and Feliciano nodded, and Feli pulled Ludwig outside to watch the display.

The second they got outside, the fireworks exploded in the sky, their vibrant, beautiful colors illuminating the blue velvet blanket of night so wonderfully it made Feli's heart break. He grabbed Ludwig's hand and squeezed it, as if to communicate that they were both seeing something unbelievably incredible.

"_E 'cosi bello," _Feli whispered, wiping a tear from his eyes as blue fireworks exploded into the shape of a clam in the sky. _"Ti amo con tutto il mio cuore, Ludwig." _

Ludwig looked down at Feli, confused by what he'd said in Italian, but was surprised by Feliciano's lips pressing firmly, insistently, against his own. He decided that it was best to just let Feliciano jump up on him and kiss him again, instead of scolding the Italian in the middle of such a nice event. He leaned against a nearby flagpole to keep them from falling over, and put one arm around Feliciano's waist and the other snuck up to tangle his fingers into the ginger-brunette's hair.

Feliciano pulled away and smiled at Ludwig before leaning forward to kiss him again, happy beyond belief when Ludwig kissed back, the sounds of fireworks and "Oohs" and "Aahs" in the background. He ran his tongue over Ludwig's lips before slipping his tongue into the German's mouth, with tasted like the cotton candy he'd eaten while Feliciano was being painted. As their tongues battled for dominance—a battle Ludwig was winning—a pink firework in the shape of a heart exploded in the velvety blue sky above.

**Meanwhile…**

"Alfred, this is beautiful," Arthur whispered, clutching his unicorn in one hand and Alfred's own hand in the other. "There are so many colors and shapes… We see these sometimes, over the sea, and but we focus too much on the reflections they make in the water, and that makes them look blurry and unappealing. They're gorgeous, love, just gorgeous." Arthur sighed contentedly and laid his head on Alfred's shoulder as the fireworks exploded above.

Alfred glanced down at Arthur mischievously before running his fingers through Arthur's hair, pulling on it a bit so that the merman lifted his head to look up at Alfred. As he did, Alfred leaned down at pressed his lips gently against Arthur's, keeping one hand in his hair while the other pressed against his fiery hot cheek. He pushed his tongue slowly into Arthur's mouth, grinning into the kiss when the Brit opened his mouth so eagerly.

Arthur shuddered as he was almost pulled from the moment by the loud sound of fireworks cracking in the sky, but Alfred's fingers tightening in his hair and pulling him closer brought him back to feverishly kissing the American. He wrapped his arms tightly around Alfred's neck, gripping the roots of his hair at the nape of his neck.

When they needed to breathe, Alfred pulled back, him and Arthur both gasping, though Arthur began kissing Alfred's jaw line and the nape of his neck over and over again. Alfred caught his breath and placed his hand gently on Arthur's back, originally intending to make him stop for now, but then he realized something: Alfred was _warm_, yes, but Arthur felt as if someone had filled his body with _lava_.

"Arthur, are you okay?" he asked urgently, worried that Arthur may be having some kind of heat stroke. "Do I need to call someone?"

"No, no!" Arthur gripped Alfred's shirt and buried his face in his neck. He didn't really know what was wrong with him, he just knew that it wasn't going to kill him, should nothing be done about it. There was heat all over his body, especially in his groin, and he bit back a whimper. After a second, he realized what was going on. How could he have been so bloody oblivious? Not only was he sitting so close to Alfred in such a small space, but there was a full moon overhead. Arthur was positive he wasn't a mangy mongrel werewolf, but during mating season, young merfolk were as easily influenced by the full moon as the waves themselves.

_If this how I'm acting,_ he thought, _I feel bad for Matthew._

"Alfred, I'm okay," he said slowly, still a little breathless. "But did Francis and Matthew drive here by themselves?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah… Why?"

"Because when this is over, you are going to take me home and screw me."

Alfred blinked down at him, willingly to go along with said plan, but surprised that Arthur would say something so bluntly and out of the blue. "You want to have sex right now?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"Because the moon is full, now when does this end, damn it?"

"Uh… In about five minutes."

"Thank Poseidon!" It wasn't yelled, but Arthur was pretty sure the people in the cart behind them and the cart in front of them could hear.

**Meanwhile…**

Calder, having checked the mirror to see where his brother was earlier, pushed his way through the fair, unaware that his brother was up in the Ferris wheel, shoving his tongue down an American human's throat. He growled when he discovered himself unable to find him as the fireworks ended and people went back to what they'd originally been doing.

"Where are ye, Arthur?" Calder muttered, becoming frustrated. He walked behind a tent and quickly pulled the mirror from his bag. "Mirror that I hold in me hand, reveal me brother, who walks on land." In the mirror, Calder saw an image of Arthur, who looked as if he were in pain, being led across the somewhat crowded fair parking lot by the same human from before. As Arthur and the human got in a car and backed up, the image faded.

Calder shoved the mirror back into his bag and hissed. He'd have to wait a few moments before he'd be able to get an address. And when he had one, he'd get his brother back and kill that son-of-a-bitch human for kidnapping him in the first place.

**A/N: I have finally completed Chapter 14! This took me like…two or three days to write. And now I must inform you that there will be smut next chapter, so… I'm just gonna go stare at wall and ask myself what's wrong with me.**

**What Italy said, according to Google Translate:**

**"_E 'cosi bello"_—"It's so beautiful" (I may not have written that correctly, as in the apostrophe may not be in the right place, but I know that's what it translates into when written correctly)**

**"_Ti amo con tutto il cuore, Ludwig"_—"I love you with all my heart, Ludwig"**

**Wow, that's the longest chapter I've ever written in this story...**

**Well, goodbye!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't anything.**

Chapter 15

Matthew didn't know _why_ Francis was so eagerly shoving him against the back wall of the Animal House, but he honestly couldn't care at the moment, considering the fact that Francis had his tongue down Matthew's throat and his hands all over his bare chest.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" Matthew asked as Francis sucked a hickey onto his throat. "I know you're passionate, but this is ridiculous!"

"Do you want to stop, _mon cher_?" Francis asked, already knowing the answer, but deciding to tease the Canadian anyway. He stepped back, no longer touching the breathless, shirtless, blushing human at all, and smiled.

Matthew thought for a split second. Sure, they were in public, and there was a possibility some other couple or something could come back here and see them, but he kind of wanted to know why Francis had just so suddenly dragged him back here and demanded sex. And he knew the only way to get information out of Francis was to give him what he wanted, and he honestly didn't mind having sex with Francis. But he still wanted to figure what the hell had put him in such a…lustful mood tonight.

"Hell no!" Matthew grabbed Francis' unbuttoned shirt and pulled him back over to him, kissing him passionately as he pulled the shirt off and threw it the general direction of his own discarded clothes.

"Hon hon hon…"

**Meanwhile…**

"Arthur, we could've gotten into a car crash," Alfred began as he parked the car in the garage and got out, only to be pinned against said car by Arthur as the garage door slid closed. The entire time he'd been driving—or _trying_ to drive, actually—Arthur had been leaning over and running his hands up and down Alfred's body, or kissing and biting his neck. Needless to say, Alfred may have a cop handing him a ticket on his own doorstep by tomorrow.

_At least I didn't hit anybody,_ he managed to think as Arthur purred against his throat and pulled him into the house.

Arthur pushed Alfred against the hallway wall and tugged at the American's hoodie, demanding he take it off this instant. However, when Alfred didn't get the message quick enough, he grabbed the hood, not even bothering to pull down the zipper, and pulled the jacket off over Alfred's head, throwing it behind them carelessly. He glared at the sight of Alfred's T-shirt, as if he were trying to burn a hole through it with just his eyes. As he grasped the end of it and tried to rip it off as quickly as he had Alfred's jacket, Alfred grabbed his wrists and pushed him away a little.

"Arthur, calm down," Alfred said, smiling at him. "You're acting like a dog in heat!"

Arthur growled a little, but didn't advance anymore on Alfred, since the American was stronger than him. "Well then take your bloody clothes off and screw me!"

Alfred sighed and grabbed Arthur's hand, taking him up to his bedroom. He sat Arthur down on the bed and wordlessly pointed to him.

"What?" Arthur demanded impatiently, wondering why Alfred was still clothed and not kissing him.

"Arthur, you have to take your clothes off, too," Alfred said, removing his shirt so Arthur could see his downright gorgeous chest, and how low his jeans actually hung on his hips.

Due to the fact that Alfred played a lot of sports and spent a lot of time at the beach, his body was lithely muscular, and his skin was slightly tanned to perfection, not orange like those idiots who overdue it on the tanning beds in video stores. Arthur could see the traces of a six-pack forming on Alfred's abs, and the V that ran into his pants, and his mouth watered. Dear Poseidon, he wanted to touch, but Alfred refused to let him until he took his own clothes off.

Arthur grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it off, along with his T-shirt underneath. As he threw them both into the corner of Alfred's room, he couldn't help but self-consciously compare their bodies. Alfred had strong-looking muscles and could pick up Arthur like he was an empty cardboard box, whereas Arthur was very lithe and slender, most of his strength in his legs and abdomen from swimming all the time.

It almost wasn't fair, to Arthur. In his opinion, it didn't make sense how someone as beautiful as Alfred could be with someone as hideous as himself.

Arthur was pulled abruptly from his sadness as Alfred pushed him back on the bed and kissed him again, running his hands over whatever exposed skin he could find. Arthur moaned into Alfred's soft, warm mouth as Alfred began pinching and tweaking his nipples, teasing them until they were little rocks under his fingers. Arthur whined into Alfred's mouth, which Alfred greedily swallowed down, deciding that he wanted Arthur to make more of those pretty noises. He slid his mouth down to Arthur's collarbone, sucking and biting it gently, which made the merman whimper repeatedly and tangle his fingers into Alfred's hair, tugging gently and silently asking for more.

"Damn it, Alfred," he muttered as Alfred used teasing kisses to write his name on Arthur's chest, completely avoiding his nipples. He was considering pulling Alfred's hair so he'd pay attention to the little pink buds, but as he was about to do so, Alfred leaned over and took one of his nipples into his mouth, sucking on it like it was a popsicle. Arthur moaned, burying his face in Alfred's pillow as heat colored his cheeks, neck, and chest red. While Alfred's tongue tortured one of his nipples and one of his hands played with the other one, his free hand snuck down to Arthur's jeans and undid the button and pulled down the zipper.

Alfred smirked as Arthur squirmed under him in an attempt to help Alfred quickly get his pants off, and he slid down the bed and kissed a heart around Arthur's navel, making him chuckle a bit before he started gasping as Alfred's tongue dipped into his navel and danced around. Arthur grabbed onto the blankets and glanced down at Alfred, meeting his lustful, sea-blue eyes. He bit his lip and closed his own eyes, thinking that Alfred was even more gorgeous than before; Alfred's cheeks were flushed like own, and he had this devilish little smirk on his face that Arthur's heart pound fast and his boxers become tighter.

However, his eyes shot open and he pushed up on his elbows as he felt Alfred pull away. He was about to start yelling at the American to finish what he started when he noticed that Alfred was taking his own pants off, managing to take his boxers off too. Arthur, still under the influence of the moon, simply ripped off his own underwear, glad the terrible pressure had been released form his erection, and tackled Alfred back onto the bed, kissing him furiously as he straddled his thighs.

"I love you," he whispered as he ground into Alfred, whimpering at the incredible friction of their erections rubbing together. Arthur could understand now about why his brothers would brag to him about sex, seeing as how amazing it felt so far.

Alfred gasped and reached between them, gripping their erections together and stroking them slowly and teasingly, causing both to moan loudly. He reached up with his other hand and pulled Arthur down to kiss him, shoving his tongue passed the other's lips, coaxing the merman's tongue into a dance with his own. Every mewl, moan, sigh, gasp…every _sound_ Arthur made Alfred greedily swallowed, and Arthur did the same in return.

As Alfred continued to jerk them both off, he felt heat pooling in his stomach and his muscles clenching and unclenching. Now wanting to come yet, he released them both and licked some the precum of his hand before holding it up to Arthur, who did the same thing. As Arthur was about to remove them from his mouth, Alfred pushed three of his fingers back in and rolled them over so Alfred was on top of Arthur.

Arthur gave him a confused look, but continued to suck and lick Alfred's fingers, making sure they were thoroughly coated in saliva. As he did, he stared up at Alfred, fire in his green eyes again. But this fire didn't portray anger; it portrayed pure, unadulterated hunger.

Alfred moaned softly as Arthur released his fingers with a _pop_. Before he did anything else, he stared down at Arthur, simply taking in how beautiful he looked below him. His eyes were lidded, lustful fire in them, and his skin was flushed and gleaming a little with sweat. His lips, swollen from kissing, had become red, and were parted as he puffed little shuddering breaths.

Then entire image made Alfred's heart pound loudly and quickly, and he smiled at Arthur, leaning down to chastely kiss him. "Hey, Arthur?"

"What?" The merman was breathless.

"I love you, too." With that being said, Alfred spread Arthur's legs and kissed him softly, distracting him from the finger that he was slowly pushing into him.

Arthur flinched back from the kiss a little at the odd sensation, but figured that Alfred knew what he was doing, otherwise he wouldn't be doing it. So as Alfred moved the finger around, thrusting it in and out over and over again, he leaned into him, doing his best to relax, like Alfred was whispering to him.

Alfred then slowly pushed another finger in alongside the other one, which Arthur definitely felt, and he whimpered as Alfred began to thrust them into his body, scissoring them to stretch his entrance. Alfred bit his lip at how tight Arthur was, but considering that up until a little while ago, Arthur didn't even know what a _kiss_ _was_, it was to be expected. Alfred curled his fingers inside of Arthur, searching for something that would stop his painful gasps, and smirked triumphantly a minute later.

"Alfred!" Arthur gasped, his eyes wide as pleasure shot through his body and brought his arousal back to life. "Do that again!"

"Sure thing, Artie!" Alfred quickly slid in another finger, making sure to hit Arthur's prostate with each thrust he made with them. Soon, Arthur was back to writhing and gasping on the bed, desperately bucking his hips upward each time Alfred brushed that bundle of nerves.

"Please, Alfred," he choked out, not even knowing what he was begging for.

"Please what, Artie? What is it?" Alfred teased, pulling his fingers out of Arthur, who whined at the loss.

"Why'd you stop, you dolt?" Arthur hissed as Alfred dug around in the nightstand beside his bed. "Keep going!"

Alfred ignored him and pulled out a bottle of lube, which—sadly—he'd just remembered he had. He crawled back over to Arthur and spread his legs again, placing them on his shoulders. Arthur stared up at Alfred, confused by the bottle. What was Alfred going to do with it? In fact, what _was_ it?

"Artie, you really need to stay relaxed now," Alfred warned as he slicked himself with lube and tossed the bottle away.

Arthur's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, but he didn't protest; instead, he followed Alfred's advice, reaching up to hold onto his back as Alfred slowly started to push in. Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, bit down on his lip so hard he _almost_ drew blood, and dug his nails so deep into Alfred's back he _did_ draw blood, but only a little. Arthur relaxed as much as he could as Alfred pushed the last inch inside, both panting a bit. Arthur shuddered, clenching around Alfred, and buried his face into the human's neck.

"You okay, Artie?" Alfred asked, gently rubbing the merman's back.

"Just…give me a second, all right?" Arthur took deep, slow breaths and relaxed little by little. A minute passed before the sensation of having Alfred inside him wasn't that bad. "I'm okay, Alfred. You can move now."

Alfred nodded and slowly pulled out until it was only his tip that was inside his lover, before thrusting his entire length back inside, hitting Arthur's prostate dead-on. Arthur moaned below him and thrust up, urging Alfred to continue. As Alfred began a slow, steady rhythm, he took one of Arthur's hands in his own before kissing their intertwined hands and holding them above Arthur's head. Alfred shifted so each of his thrusts hit Arthur's prostate, and Arthur threw his head back and moaned again.

"Alfred, I l-love you," he choked out between moans, wrapping his legs around the American's waist to pull him closer and make him go in deeper.

"L-Love you, t-too, Artie," Alfred whispered, leaning down and sucking Arthur's shoulder gently. Just like before, he reached out and grasped Arthur's free hand, tangling it with his own and kissing it before pinning it over Arthur's head.

The pleasure between the two grew stronger, and Alfred's thrusts quickened, loosing all pattern and rhythm. He leaned down and placed his lips firmly against Arthur's, stifling a moan that he'd been about to let out. As Alfred's muscles tightened up and his body trembled, he wrapped his arms around Arthur and pulled him up so that Alfred was on his knees and Arthur was wrapped around him, making it even easier for Alfred to hit the Brit's prostate.

"Alfred, something's happening!" Arthur gasped as his abdomen twitched and his body's trembling became shaking. He felt so hot and there was some kind of weird pressure in his body, growing stronger and stronger…

"Just let it go," Alfred managed to gasp out, feeling his own climax growing in his body. Just a few more thrusts…

Taking Alfred's advice, Arthur let himself be consumed by the feelings and cried out as he did, pleasure invading every part of his body as he came between them, covering their chests in semen.

"Alfred!"

Hearing Arthur cry out his name and feeling him tighten and spasm around him pushed Alfred over the edge, and as he came inside his lover, he kissed Arthur gently, whispering his name as he rode out his orgasm.

Arthur slowly lifted himself off of Alfred and collapsed back onto the bed, panting as little aftershocks rippled through him. He smiled lazily up at Alfred and reached out, taking his hand and pulling him down next to him. He was exhausted, but he wanted to fall asleep in his mate's arms.

Alfred kissed the top of Arthur's head and pulled the blankets up around them before wrapping the sleepy merman in his arms. He was tired as well, but not as much as Arthur appeared to be.

"I love you, Alfred," Arthur whispered sleepily, his forehead against Alfred chest.

"I love you, too, Arthur," Alfred whispered back as Arthur fell asleep against his chest.

**Meanwhile…**

"Okay… _That_ was the best sex I've ever had," Matthew said breathlessly, staring up at the star-sprayed sky dreamily from his place in the tall grass behind the Animal House.

Beside him, Francis chuckled, wrapping his arms around his waist and hauled him over so he was resting his head on Francis' chest and one of his legs was thrown over Francis'.

"_Je t'aime, mon petit humain," _Francis whispered, stroking Matthew's tousled hair.

Matthew blushed and looked down, but whispered back, _"Et je t'aime, mon triton."_

**Meanwhile…**

Feliciano smiled as he and Ludwig walked down the beach, toward the water. He'd told Ludwig he wanted to show him something, and his body was trembling with both the fear of rejection, and the anticipation of acceptance. Taking a deep breath, he snuck behind a rock and disrobed, then dove into the water, too quickly for Ludwig to see.

"Feliciano, what did you want to show me?" Ludwig called as he heard the splash. "I have to work in the morning, so this better be important!"

Feliciano glanced down at his tail sheepishly before swimming into plain sight, beckoning Ludwig closer. The German walked over to his Italian friend, who sat in the shallow water. As he drew closer, his face contorted in confusion, because it kind of looked like Feliciano was wearing a skirt…

However, his face froze up as he came closer to Feliciano.

_Okay,_ he thought as he sat down in the sand, staring—wide-eyed—at Feliciano. _There are only two possibilities: Feliciano's a merman, or I'm really drunk._

"Ludwig?" Feliciano asked gently, worried that Ludwig's silence was a rejection. "Are you okay?"

Ludwig lay down in the sand—far out of the reach of the tide—and said, "I think I'll sleep here tonight, Feliciano. Wake me up when this makes sense."

**The next morning…**

Alfred was woken up the next morning at around eight by a pounding on his front door. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before putting his glasses on and rolling out of bed, Arthur still sleeping soundly in the bed. He smiled and leaned down, pecking his cheek. Arthur stirred slightly, but continued to sleep, curling up under the blankets.

_It's probably Mattie,_ Alfred thought, preparing to lecture his baby brother, though for what he wasn't entirely sure. But he was the older twin, and what was the point of being an older sibling if he couldn't lecture Mattie every now and then?

He tugged on some sweatpants and made his way downstairs. "Calm down!" he called as he heard the violent pounding again. "Geez, Mattie, why didn't you—" Alfred stopped dead when he realized he wasn't talking to his brother, or to Francis for that matter.

_They're not home yet,_ he thought worriedly as he glanced at the driveway. Instead, there was a tall man with pale skin standing in front of him. His spiky hair was fiery red and his eyes were as emerald-green and beautiful as Arthur's…only this man's eyes were as pissed off as hell. He growled lowly at Alfred, throwing a tremendously strong hand out when Alfred tried to close the door in his face.

"Who the hell are you?" Alfred shouted as the man forced his way into the house. Alfred backed up toward his closet as the man closed and locked the door. He reached into the closet and gripped the handle of his baseball bat, prepared to clock the man over the head, should he need to.

The man brushed the dirt off his black leather jacket and glared at him, smirking. "Me name is Calder Kirkland, and I believe ye have somethin' that belongs ta me." He cracked his knuckles, and Alfred blinked, his grip loosening a little on the bat.

"Wait, Kirkland? Do you know Arthur Kirkland?" Alfred froze up as he remembered that Calder had said his last name was Kirkland. Calder nodded, still glaring. "Oh, dear God, you're not his husband are you?" (Evidently, he'd forgotten that Arthur had told him that his oldest brother's name was Calder.)

Calder looked momentarily disgusted. "Of course not! He's me wee brother, now hand 'im over."

"One second, okay? He's upstairs." Alfred let got of the bat and ran upstairs to wake up Arthur.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked as Alfred opened the door to his bedroom. "What's going on? Are you okay?" Arthur's eyes filled with worry as he stared at Alfred, searching for bruises or scratches.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Artie." Alfred smiled and kissed Arthur's forehead. "Just put some pants on, okay?"

Arthur nodded and began to pull on his jeans from last night. "Why do I need to put pants on?"

Alfred smiled as he closed the bedroom door for an elusion of privacy. "Because your brother's here!"

"_What?"_

**About ten minutes later…**

"Well, where is he?" Calder demanded, just as Arthur appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Calder!" Arthur gasped, more terrified than relieved to see his brother. "What are you doing here?"

Calder took in his younger brother's tousled hair and shirtless upper body, deciding to ignore it for now; he'd question Arthur later. "I'm here to take ye home, now let's go."

"What?" Arthur and Alfred cried together, Arthur glaring at Calder and Alfred staring in confusion.

Calder ignored their protesting and stomped up the stairs, seizing Arthur's arm harshly and pulling him toward the door. He didn't care that Arthur was flailing wildly and trying to hit him, or that he was yelling angrily, calling him a git, a wanker, and moron. Arthur would see later, once his whole Stockholm Syndrome problem was over, that this was for the best. This human had kidnapped him, made him cry, and he wanted to _stay_?

_You'll get better, wee brother,_ he thought sympathetically.

He opened the door and shoved Arthur outside before turning back to Alfred, who was staring at him like he wasn't able to understand what was happening.

"If ye ever come near me brother again, human," he said calmly as he walked up to Alfred, staring down at him with an intimidating look, "I'll rip yer head off and feed it to me pet sharks." Then, without warning, Calder pulled his fist back and punched Alfred right in the eye, causing the American to cry out a little fall backward.

Calder straightened out his black gloves and watched Alfred groan and sit up. When Alfred pulled his hand away from his eye, it was swollen a bit, but he wasn't bleeding or anything. He'd definitely have a black eye, though.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"Have a nice day, human slime." Calder turned and left, slamming the door behind him. He threw Arthur over his shoulder and headed for the sea.

**A/N: Uh… I don't think I want to write smut again for a few chapters, I just thought it'd be necessary for this chapter, considering how lustful Arthur was acting last time. I'm so ashamed! _*Dramatically throws self from cliff* *Walks back up* _Whew! Glad that's done with! Anyway, Calder took Arthur away, like the moron that he is.**

**What Francis said:**

**"I love you, my little human."**

**What Matthew said:**

**"I love you, too, my merman."**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 16

Ludwig's eyes fluttered open the next morning, his cheek having made a mark in the sand he'd been sleeping on. He sat up and groaned, rubbing his sore back. Why'd he choose to sleep on the beach again?

"Good morning, Ludwig."

Oh. Right. There was _that_ problem.

"Feliciano, that joke you played on me—" Ludwig stopped short as he noticed that Feliciano was still sitting in the shallow water, a shimmering orange tail where his legs should be.

"Ludwig, please don't be mad at me!" Feliciano cried, flailing his arms at his sides. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but—"

"Feliciano, shut up!" Ludwig snapped as he stood and stared down at the Italian. He reached down and gripped the end of his tail, tugging it a bit too harshly, which caused Feliciano to cry out in pain.

"Ludwig, why would you pull my tail? It hurts when people do that! Lovino used to do that when we were little to make me leave him alone!" Feliciano whined obliviously as Ludwig stared down at him in shock.

_It's real,_ Ludwig thought in astonishment, letting go of the tail. _It's real…_

"Feliciano…I'm not mad…just surprised," Ludwig said slowly, taking a step back. "I think I need a few days to go over this in my head. I'll be back, though, I promise."

Feli's face—which had fallen at the beginning of Ludwig's words—now lit up with happiness as he shifted out of the shallow water and into the deeper water. "Okay, then! I'll be waiting here for you every day! Goodbye!" With that, Feliciano disappeared into the water with a splash.

Ludwig took a few deep breaths to calm himself and clear his head before turning to walk back to his car. As he did, he whispered to himself, "What the hell just happened?"

**Meanwhile…**

"Calder, put me down this instant, you bloody fucking wanker!" Arthur cried, hitting his brother's back and trying to kick his chest—both to no avail—as they got closer to the beach. "I want to go back to Alfred!"

"No, ye don't, wee brother," Calder said, for about the millionth time. He was sick of saying it, but he knew he'd have to be very patient with his brother, as would the other members of their family; too bad the only person in their family that was patient was Lydelle, their mother.

"Yes, I do! I love him! Now put me down!" Arthur hissed furiously, struggling more. He'd been so busy trying to get out of his brother's strong embrace that he hadn't even noticed that the ground had changed from concrete to pale white sand—but now he did.

"We're almost there," Calder whispered encouragingly, the sea about twenty feet away. He looked around, making sure no one was there before he started running towards the sea. When he got to the water's edge, he threw his brother down onto the ground behind some rocks, ordering him to take his pants off and get in the water.

"I want to go back to Alfred, Calder," Arthur insisted, but due to the fact that he'd always been afraid of his oldest brother the most, he took his pants off and tossed them aside, but refused to get in the water.

Calder growled as he pulled his own shirt off. "Ye will get in the water right now, Arthur, or I will unleash a wrath worthy of Poseidon on ya, got it?" His own green eyes bore into Arthur's, making the younger merman tremble a little with fear.

Arthur knew his brother was serious, but he still continued to stand his ground, even as the Scottish merman removed his boxers and pointed to the ocean. Arthur shook his head, planting his feet firmly in the sand.

"Damn it, Arthur, go _now_!" Calder snarled, grabbing his brother's upper arms tightly, almost cutting off the circulation. "Ye don't love that stupid human, and ye never will! Now get in the damn water, or so help me, I will send ye to hell _meself_!"

Arthur was now full on shaking, and—not wanting to anger Calder anymore—slowly turned and walked toward the water. He would admit, being this close to the sea made him happy, and a part of him just wanted to start sprinting for the water, but a stronger part of him wanted to start sprinting for Alfred's house. But since Calder was right behind him, he wasn't even going to try. Calder was faster than him, and stronger than him; he'd undoubtedly have Arthur back over his shoulder before Arthur could even get ten feet away. So with a resigned sigh, he waded into the water until he was waist-deep, and then dove beneath the surface, hearing the faint sound of Calder following.

Arthur glanced down at his feet as they grew scales, and his legs morphed together to create a shiny green tail. He felt the skin of his neck stretch and open up to create gills, and he took in a deep breath through them, that part of him from earlier relishing in the feeling of being back in the sea, where he really belonged.

_That's a lie,_ he scolded himself as Calder swam up beside him with his own blue-green tail and gills. _You belong with Alfred, even if he were in the desert._

Calder didn't hear his brother's thoughts, and reached out, grabbing Arthur's wrist. _The others will be glad to see ya. They all but thought ye were dead. _

_They did? _Arthur had pretty much forgotten that he'd come here with others. Now, he felt a bit guilty, putting everyone through so much worry…and holding off their chances to mate.

_Aye. _Calder nodded and pulled Arthur along as he swam toward the tide pools, which were hidden behind tall cliffs so no human could see the merfolk below. Everyone—including Francis and Feliciano—was there for breakfast, munching down mussels and small trout.

"Hey!" Calder called as his head surfaced, making sure to keep Arthur under the water. "Guess who I've found?"

Everyone's eyes lit up and excited whispers broke out from the crowd. Calder smirked and pulled Arthur's head above water.

Elizabeta, Irunya, Emiko, Bella, Lili, and the other mermaids—except Natalia—all cried out happily and dove into the water, swimming over and hugging Arthur until he felt he couldn't breath. The mermen, on the other hand, began to sigh in relief and clap to praise Calder for finding him, but some—like Feliciano and Tino—swam over to hug Arthur as well, glad that he was safe.

Francis was the only one who didn't appear happy. If Calder had gotten Arthur back, and Arthur and Alfred had left the fair early, did that mean that he'd hurt Alfred? And had Arthur gotten the chance to officially be with Alfred?

Gaul noticed his younger brother's worried expression and blinked. "Are you okay, Francis? You don't seem happy. Weren't you on land almost every day, looking for Arthur?"

"_Oui," _Francis partially lied. In the beginning, he'd been looking for Arthur, but then he'd met Matthieu, learned of Arthur's own love for a human, and left him be. "Of course, it had to be Arthur's _grand frère_ who found him."

Gaul laughed. "Are you jealous? Do you wish it was _you_ the others were praising and showering with glory?"

Francis glared at his brother and jumped in the water, swimming over to Arthur, who had Feliciano's arms around his waist and Tino's arms around his neck.

"Francis, can we talk?" Arthur asked as he gently pushed Tino and Feli off of him, sending the Finnish merman over to his friend Berwald and sending Feliciano back over to Lovino and Antonio.

"I was just thinking that. Come along."

The two mermen swam behind an unclaimed rock and slipped underwater, for extra privacy.

_Arthur, did you get to be with Alfred?_

_Yes, I did, but as you can see, Calder's taken me away from him, the git._

_Well, how can I help?_

_I don't think you can, Francis. You know how strong Calder is; he's one of the strongest mermen here, aside from Gaul, Berwald, and Ivan. And if those four banned together, we definitely wouldn't stand a chance._

_So you're not even going to try to get back to Alfred?_

_I…don't know. I love him, Francis, I do, but none of us stand a chance against Calder. But I'll think of something._

_You could try constant begging. Eventually, he'll get so annoyed that he'll just have to let you go back on land!_

Arthur glared at Francis, but sighed through his gills. It wasn't the very best of ideas, but it was a start.

_I guess I could try that._

**Meanwhile…**

"Alfred, why are you holding a bag of peas to your face?" Matthew asked as he walked into the house. It was about eleven in the morning, and he'd just gotten back from eating a breakfast of banana pancakes at the International Café. When he'd walked into the house, he'd found Alfred leaning against the fridge, groaning, with a bag of peas pressed to his right eye.

"Because you know how Arthur's got those older brothers of his?" Alfred growled out, remembering Calder.

"Y-Yeah…?" Matthew was almost afraid of what Alfred would say next, and he walked over to his brother, putting a hand over the bag of peas so it'd stay in place as Alfred let go of it to flail his arms around angrily.

"Well his oldest brother Calder showed up here and punched me in the face for no good reason, and then he took Arthur back to the sea!"

"Really?" Matthew's eyes widened in shock. "Why?"

"I don't know! He and the other merfolk probably think we kidnapped Arthur or something…"

"Technically, Al, we did," Mattie pointed out sheepishly.

"That's not the point, Mattie! I love Arthur, and I want him back!" Alfred pouted and fought back tears, aware that he was beginning to sound like a child whose favorite toy had just been taken.

"Well, I could talk to Francis," Matthew offered, remembering that Francis had arrived with Arthur. "Maybe that'll help."

"Maybe," Alfred agreed weakly, leaning back against the counter, his brother still holding the bag of frozen peas to his eye.

He seriously doubted anything Francis could do would help.

**Meanwhile…**

"Arthur, was the human world scary?" Tino asked as he and Berwald hopped onto the rock Arthur was sitting on.

"Absolutely not!" Arthur exclaimed, speaking the truth. "It was wonderful, and I'd give anything to go back, but Calder refuses to let me! I hate him!"

Tino smiled and patted Arthur's back, while Berwald remained silent at his side. "I'm sure Calder will let you go back eventually. It's just that we've been so worried about you, especially him. So Calder said you were kidnapped?"

Arthur glanced over at him, avoiding the subject as he remembered something about the two. "Tino, you and Berwald brought a full-body mirror, right?" (They weren't brothers, but their older brothers Matthias and Lukas had decided the four of them should swim there in their only little group...among the larger group.)

Tino blinked and nodded slowly, confusion in his eyes. "Yes, but I don't know where Berwald put it."

"It's over here," Berwald said quietly, jumping off the rock and leading them over to a very small, undersea cave.

_You can use it, if you like, _Tino thought to Arthur as he and Berwald swam back to the surface.

_Thank you!_

Arthur swam toward the mirror and touched it, seeing his reflection. But he didn't want to see that right now.

_Hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm, _Arthur thought, watching the full-body mirror begin to glow, _my love's embrace I see with this charm._

The mirror glowed brightly, and then showed Arthur an image of himself as a human, being held tightly and lovingly in Alfred's arms.

Reaching out gently, Arthur touched the glass, watching the image ripple like water, but otherwise stayed there. His heart broke and he smiled sadly at the image of Alfred, for he wished that the image were real. He wanted to be back on land, in Alfred's arms, cuddling in his bed, and possibly doing other things in his bed.

_But I can't do that,_ Arthur thought sadly. _Not right now, at least._

He watched as the couple in the mirror laughed and kissed each other before the image faded, and he swam back to the surface, promising himself he wouldn't cry when he got there.

"Artie, ya need ta eat," Calder said as he shoved an abalone shell with guppies on it in front of Arthur's face. "Ya been eaten that nasty human food for about three weeks."

Arthur took the fish and lifted one into his mouth, slurping it down like spaghetti. As he ate, he stared out in the direction of the shore, just west of the tide pools. He pictured himself taking everybody by surprise and jumping into the ocean, swimming as fast as he could to shore, and running back to Alfred's house, back to Alfred's love.

But Calder was watching him, so he couldn't do that either.

_Maybe Francis is right,_ he thought sadly. _Maybe my only way to get back to Alfred is to beg my way back._

"Don't worry, Artie," Calder said, seeing Arthur's sad look. "Ye'll be used to bein' home in no time. How's about tomorrow, we go shellfish huntin', huh? Ya used to love that."

_Yes, but now I love Alfred,_ he thought as he nodded absently at his brother, looking away from the depressing shore. _And I promise I'll get back to him. I swear it by Poseidon. _

**A/N: Not the longest chapter in the world, because I wanted to put some really good parts in the next chapter, like Arthur and Francis discovering something, (not gonna tell you what it is yet, you gotta guess!), and Arthur constantly begging Calder to let him go back…**

**Well, goodbye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I swear.**

Chapter 17

Arthur hadn't seen—or felt the presence of—Alfred for three days. Everything amongst his kind was back to how it should be: mermen were collecting things and offering them to mermaids, siblings were offering advice and catching food…

But Arthur, Feliciano, and Francis were usually left sitting with the older siblings, because the three of them were already in love and had no interest in anyone else.

Francis sighed as he lay back against a rock, letting the sun tan his pale skin and make his tail—which was submerged in water up to where his knees should be—glisten. "Ah, how I miss my _petit Matthieu_," he said, counting the fluffy clouds in the blue sky. "Perhaps I shall go see him soon…" He ran his fingers through his shiny golden hair as he contemplated the idea, though it was possible that he could've just been rubbing his freedom to go to land and come back on his own in Arthur's face.

"Do whatever you want," Arthur grumbled under his breath, shooting the French merman a glare. "But if you do go ashore, send Alfred my love?"

Francis' teasing glow fell away, replaced by a sympathetic one. "Of course I will, _cher Arthur_."

"Ve~! Francis, Arthur!" Feliciano called as he jumped into the water. His head broke the surface again a second later. "I'm going to see if Ludwig's back yet!"

"Be careful!" Arthur called, at the same time Francis called, "Watch out for jet skis and boats!"

When Feliciano had left, the two mermen were visited by Elizabeta, who was covered with gifts—there were jewels and shells around her wrists, neck, waist, and twisted delicately into her hair. She should've been happy, being covered with so many gifts, but she looked as if she were on the verge of tears.

"Lizi, come sit up here with big brother Francis and tell him what's wrong," Francis cooed, patting the space beside him.

Elizabeta nodded and sat beside them, removing the jewels. "I just don't know what to do, Francis. I love both Roderich and Gilbert. They keep giving me such incredible things, and I simply can't choose."

Francis glanced over at Arthur, but he was still sulking where he sat. "Very well, then. Since Arthur's a little out of it, I will help you." He cleared his throat and turned to the Hungarian mermaid. "Now," he began with a gentle smile, rubbing her back comfortingly, "tell me, what does your heart say?"

"It tells me that…" Elizabeta trailed off, then looked as if she'd just realized something. "Actually, I don't know. I've been thinking so much lately that I haven't even been listening to anyone else, much less my heart. I'll try that, okay? Thanks, Francis." Elizabeta smiled, pecked Francis on the cheek, and then dove into the water.

Arthur watched the sea ebb and flow, feeling more depressed than he probably ever had. He'd been begging Calder for three days, but the elder merman just ignored him, insisting that he had Stockholm Syndrome, or that he'd get over it. Also, he kept picturing Alfred in his mind; the human's smile, his eyes, his body…

"Oi, Artie!" Calder smirked and slapped his brother on the back of the head to get his attention. "Ready ta go look fer some lunch?"

Arthur glared over his shoulder at his brother. "Calder, please just…let me go back to Alfred. I love him! He means so much to me! It's not like I'm just going to forsake my family and health to be with him on land forever! I'll still come back. Just please let me see him…" Tears prickled his eyes and he whimpered softly.

Calder sighed in irritation and rolled his eyes. Out of his entire family, he definitely wasn't the most patient, and his brother was testing him like nothing else in the world could. (Although, waiting for his eggs to hatch back home was certainly a close second. In fact, he didn't even know if they had hatched yet; after all, they'd been away from home for about three or four weeks.)

"Artie, I'm sick of listenin' ta this. So I'll tell ya what: if ya can find some kind of evidence that ye love 'im, I might let ya go back." Calder crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for Arthur to accept his challenge.

Arthur's eyes widened hopefully, and he smiled. "Really? Does that mean I can go on land for proof?"

Calder nodded. "Aye. But ya can't talk directly ta Alfred, and ya have ta come back every night at sunset, ye got it?"

Arthur nodded eagerly, but began to think. He didn't have any pictures with Alfred, just memories; and his unicorn was at Alfred's house, so where was he supposed to get proof. But, nonetheless, he would do it, so long as he at least got to be in Alfred's presence, or see him again.

"Well? Ya gonna do it, or not?"

"Yes! Yes, I will! Oh, thank you, Calder, thank you!" Arthur cried as he threw his arms around his exasperated and shocked brother. "I promise, I'll be back tonight. You can even wait on the beach for me if you want!"

"One more condition: Francis has to tell me if ya do talk to the stupid human." Calder's emerald eyes shot over to Francis as he growled, "And if ye don't, Francis…Gaul, Berwald, and meself are goin' ta pay ya a wee visit tanight."

Francis, who'd been sitting there watching the whole time, let his face split into a grin as he grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him into the water with him. The two swam as fast as they could to the shores, all the while anticipating seeing there loves again.

**Meanwhile…**

Alfred sat on his couch, the TV turned on and a bowl of popcorn in front of him, but his face not lit up with happiness as it usually would be in this scenario.

"I miss Artie," he grumbled under his breath to the empty living room, his voice full of self-loathing. In his mind, it was his fault Arthur had been taken back to the ocean by Calder, when Alfred totally could've done something about it; instead, he'd just stood there, staring at the Scottish merman in shock.

"Al, you're starting to scare me," Matthew said as he walked down the stairs. "I've never seen you this depressed, not even when you accidentally broke your Superman action figure when we were ten. It's creepy…" He frowned and rubbed his arm sheepishly, as if waiting to be scolded by his brother for saying such things.

Alfred sighed and stood up, walking over to his brother. He offered him a weak smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Mattie, and I'm sorry. Heroes like me shouldn't be depressed, but I miss Arthur so much. I wish he'd come back…"

Mattie smiled encouragingly and hugged his brother, who happily accepted the movement. "Who knows, Al?" he said as they pulled away. "Maybe he will. Maybe Francis managed to get him away from his crazy older brother, and they're on their way here right now."

Alfred shrugged. It could be a possibility.

**Meanwhile…**

Francis noticed that Arthur was acting a little strange. Now, whenever they passed a baby or a child, Arthur appeared normal, not sad.

_How strange,_ he thought, scratching his stubbly chin.

"Is everything all right, Francis?" Arthur asked, noticing the harsh look of concentration on the Frenchman's face. "You seem tense."

"_Oui_, I'm fine." Francis waved off the comment from Arthur and turned to walk down Pelican Street, much to Arthur's confusion.

"Francis, Matthew and Alfred live on Belle Drive!" he called after the other merman, following him nonetheless. "Why are we going in this direction?"

"Because I need to pick up a few things for Matthew in town," Francis said, flipping his hair from his eyes, which caused some girls across the street to blush and smile.

"Oh." Arthur figured Francis probably wanted to get the Canadian flowers and chocolates, and other assorted goods, so he decided to go with him. "Maybe I'll find something for Alfred," he said quietly, thoughtfully.

Francis glanced over at him and flashed a small, slightly devious smile. "I'm sure you will, _cher Arthur_."

**Meanwhile…**

Feliciano sat in the warm, dry sand of Lily Road Beach, playing patiently with a loose thread on his yellow T-shirt. Every now and then, he would glance up and look around, hoping he'd see Ludwig nearby, but he'd yet to see him.

_What if he's never coming back?,_ Feli thought fearfully, feeling his eyes start to sting, suggesting that he may cry soon. As he blinked rapidly to hold back said tears, he felt a familiar presence. When he looked up, Ludwig was standing about five feet away from him, arms crossed and eyes confused.

"Are you okay?" Ludwig asked as he leaned down, eyes searching Feliciano for any cuts or bruises. "You seem upset."

Feliciano's eyes widened at the sight of Ludwig, and he jumped up and threw his arms around him out of sheer happiness, causing Ludwig to fall over in the sand, so Feliciano was technically straddling him.

"Ludwig, you came back! I missed you so much! I'm sorry if I freaked you out! I'll never show you my true form again, I promise! Just please don't leave me!" Feliciano buried his face in Ludwig's well-developed chest as he cried.

"Get off of me!" Ludwig pried Feliciano from his body and they sat up, Feli still sobbing a little, and Ludwig staring at him in slight annoyance.

"Look, Feliciano, I came here to tell you that I'm okay with you being…what you are. I mean, it goes against science and everything I've ever believed in, but I'm okay with it because I…" Ludwig suddenly looked very uncomfortable, and his face flamed red as he glanced away. "I… You know what, it'll be easier to say this in my own language, all right?" Ludwig took a deep breath and looked the curious Italian in the eye. _"Ich liebe dich."_

Feliciano was so confused for a moment, but then he remembered that he'd sometimes heard Gilbert say those words to Elizabeta, and he'd eventually learned what they meant. Ludwig was telling him that he loved Feliciano, and said merman couldn't've been happier if he tried.

Without saying a word, Feliciano leaned forward and kissed Ludwig chastely on the lips before snuggling up in his arms, listening to the German's quickening heartbeat and the waves around them.

**Meanwhile…**

Francis and Arthur were at the local drug store, Francis studying some pretty white roses in the floral section, and Arthur standing in the book section, flipping through a book called _A Song of Ice and Fire_. It sounded interesting, but he didn't have any money on him at the moment, so he put it back down, but kept looking around.

Francis stepped out of the floral area, a bouquet of beautiful white roses in his hands, and walked over to his friend, raising an eyebrow as Arthur glared at a copy of _The Little Mermaid_. "It's just a book, _mon ami_," Francis said, guiding him away from it. "Now, there's one more thing I need to get from here. Well, actually, it's for you, but I'm the only one with money here so I'm buying it."

Arthur raised a cautious, large eyebrow at Francis and frowned. "What is it, frog?" he asked slowly, somewhat afraid of the answer. "Oh, and since they have a food court here, do you think we could get some popcorn and an Icee?"

Francis stared down at Arthur in surprise, but slowly nodded in agreement, bringing him to the aisle with condoms and other…sexually necessary things.

"You brought to the sex aisle? Are you crazy? I don't need condoms, I'm a boy! I can't get pregnant, and merfolk can't get an STD!" Arthur glared at him as Francis scanned the aisle carefully, though for what Arthur was not entirely sure.

"Just be quiet, _mon ami_," Francis said, tossing him a stern glare. "Do you want the whole store to know what we are, or that we're in this aisle?"

Arthur's face flared red and he looked away. "Damn frog," he muttered under his breath, folding his arms around himself. He did his best to keep his eyes on the ground, so he didn't have to look at the boxes of condoms, bottles of lube, and any other things that may've been uncomfortable.

He didn't see what Francis quickly grabbed and stuffed under his arm, but he did look up when Francis' feet scurried by, and he quickly followed the French merman to the checkout counters, still not looking while the items were being paid for.

"Ah, Matthieu's going to love the pretty white roses I bought for him. Fresh and ready to bloom…" Francis sighed lovingly as he gently stroked one of the petals, as if it were Matthew's cheek.

"What exactly did you buy that involves me?" Arthur asked suspiciously, glancing down at the small plastic bag in Francis' hand. Actually, did he want to know what was in that bag? It's not like they sell things like sex toys at drug stores, but he still didn't want to think about it.

"I can only tell you this until tonight: you'll either be happy or—knowing you—sad by what it tells you, okay?"

Arthur nodded slowly as he and Francis made their way down Alfred and Matthew's street. Arthur was anxious to see Alfred, but he then remembered that Calder had told him that he couldn't speak to Alfred, and Calder had also ordered Francis to tell him if Arthur spoke to Alfred. Arthur knew Francis would help him, had Calder not threatened him with the idea of being "visited" in the night by three of the strongest mermen there.

When they got there, however, Arthur noticed that Alfred's car was gone, and he frowned, upset. Francis, however, didn't notice, and knocked on the door.

"Oh, hey Francis, what are— Arthur, is that you? You're back?" Matthew smiled and leaned forward, hugging Arthur, who halfheartedly hugged back. "I need to call Alfred, he'd love to hear your voice!"

"No!" Both Francis and Arthur gasped and shook their heads, though half of Arthur was begging him to risk and let Matthew call Alfred. But he couldn't put not only his chances of ever seeing Alfred again on the line, but also his and Francis' health; that'd just be asking to much from the Frenchman.

"Why don't you want to talk to Alfred?" Matthew asked as Francis kissed his cheek and handed him the flowers. "Thanks, by the way," he added to Francis, winking at him.

"Let us in and we'll explain," Arthur said.

Once they were seated comfortably in the living room, Arthur explained what'd been happening the past three or four days, and how his brother had finally allowed him to come ashore to see—but not speak to—Alfred.

"Oh, well, Alfred's at school," Matthew said regretfully. "Sorry. But you can wait here for him if you want; his class gets out at six."

"It will be twilight by then, and I have to be back in the sea by sunset," Arthur said softly, shaking his head. "But could you tell him I love him?"

Matthew nodded at first, but then reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. He smiled, but then his face fell. "I'd tell you to text him, but he'd see the number was mine, and he'd probably think I was just trying to cheer him up, and then he'd be even more depressed. Sorry, Arthur."

Arthur shook his head and patted Matthew's knee comfortingly. "It's not your fault, Matthew."

"I have an idea!" Francis smiled and gestured to one of Alfred's notebooks, forgotten on the coffee table. "Why don't you write him a love letter? If you do, you're not technically talking to him."

Arthur's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And you won't tell Calder?"

"Like I said, you're not technically speaking to Alfred, so why would I tell Calder?" Francis winked.

Arthur grabbed a pen and the notebook and began writing.

**_Dear Alfred,_**

**_I miss you so much, but Calder has told me that if I can find true proof that we are in love, he will let me come and go from you to the sea whenever I please. _**

"Hold on!" Arthur paused and looked up as an idea came to him. "Why don't I just write this letter, and use it as proof?"

"Because Calder may think that Alfred told you to do that." Francis thought about Calder and his possibilities for a moment. "In fact, Calder may be watching us with his mirror right now."

"Oh, right…" Arthur sighed and kept writing.

**_Also, Francis took me to the drugstore and told me that I've been acting strangely lately, so he bought me something…from the aisle with condoms and lubricant. I didn't see what it was, and I honestly don't want to know! He says he'll "show" me what it is later, and I'm a little afraid of how that will go, but if he tries anything, he's being fed to one of the great white sharks that Calder teases._**

**_I hope to see you soon, Alfred. _**

Arthur then drew the following next to the last sentence he'd written, knowing Alfred would understand: a jewel, a bivalve shell, a new moon, a whirlpool, a shark tooth, a seagull flying over the surface of the waters, another new moon, and finally, a jet of water spouting from the sea.

**_Always Yours,_**

**_Arthur Kirkland_**

Arthur smiled and folded up the letter, knowing Alfred would not only understand what the pictures had meant, but also know that he'd written it, due to the messy cursive.

Francis stood and stretched. "Well, Arthur, it's almost sunset, so we need to use that thing I bought you now."

Arthur sighed and handed Matthew the letter, who went to put it in the kitchen, where Alfred would undoubtedly find it, since he always celebrated coming home from school with a hamburger.

"All right, what did you buy me?" Arthur asked, glaring at Francis, arms crossed over his chest.

Francis wordlessly pulled Arthur upstairs, and Arthur began to fear the worst, however, he was rather confused when he realized that Francis had stopped them in front of the bathroom.

"What's going on, Francis?" Arthur asked, wary. His feet were set to run, should Francis do something he didn't like.

Francis pulled a rectangular box from the bag and opened it up. He pulled some kind of stick-looking thing from it and slapped it into Arthur's hand.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Arthur asked as he stared at it. As he noticed the signs next to the little screen, his heart stopped beating. Next to the screens, there were two little signs: one showed that if there was a cross, the person using the item was pregnant; the other said that if it were a plain line, the person using the item was not pregnant. This one, obviously, was blank.

"This…is a pregnancy test, Francis…" Arthur's voice was unusually calm as his face lost all color.

"_Oui, mon ami_, it is," Francis agreed gently, patting his own stomach. "And you're going to use it."

**A/N: I have left a cliffhanger! And not even a very good one…**

**Anyways, the drawings in the note Arthur left to Alfred are like the merfolks' version of the alphabet. They use drawings of things around them instead of letters.**

**So it goes like this:**

**A—a wave**

**B—a fish**

**C—a comb**

**D—a nautilus shell**

**E—a shark tooth**

**F—a mirror**

**G—a piece of kelp**

**H—Narwhal tusk**

**I—a jewel**

**J—a whale spouting water**

**K—an octopus**

**L—a bivalve shell**

**M—bubbles**

**N—a full moon**

**O—a new moon**

**P—a crescent moon**

**Q—a half-moon**

**R—the sun**

**S—a star**

**T—a cloud**

**U—water spouting from the sea**

**V—a whirlpool**

**W—a human footprint**

**X—a pile of sand**

**Y—a seagull or other bird flying over the surface of the water**

**Z—a fish or other sea creature swimming below the surface of the water**

**So, here's what Arthur wrote in his kind's "alphabet"—_I love you_**

**Now, I'm off to make some brownies! _*Flies away*_ Wee!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, sadly.**

Chapter 18

"Ludwig, do you really love me?" Feliciano asked, still sitting in the sand on the beach with Ludwig. This was about the twentieth time he'd asked the German that, but he still loved hearing the sound of Ludwig telling him he did.

"Yes, Feli, I do." Ludwig sighed and gave him a tired smile, wrapping his arms around the merman's waist. The sun was going to go down soon, and he was getting hungry. "I'm sorry, Feliciano, but I'm rather hungry, so I should go—"

"No!" Feliciano pouted and held onto his mate. He didn't want Ludwig to go yet! He wanted Ludwig to tell him he loved him again. Suddenly, he got an idea, and he smiled, holding onto Ludwig and tugging him toward the sea. "Ludwig, come with me! I want you to meet my _grande fratello_. I'm sure he'll love you!"

Ludwig was confused, but hesitantly allowed Feliciano to strip him, then himself, and pull them both into the water. When they were chest-deep in the water, Ludwig saw a glow under the water, and looked down, seeing Feliciano's orange tail appearing. He opened his mouth to say something, but Feliciano grabbed his shoulders and pulled him underwater with him, quickly kissing his mouth before he could inhale enough water to drown.

Ludwig's eyes—stinging from the saltwater—widened as he felt his body begin to change as it glowed, along with Feliciano's body. He glanced down as Feli pulled away, watching his legs grow olive-green scales and morph together to create a fishtail. Then he reached up prodding his neck, where gills were growing; he let out air bubbles in relief when he was finally able to breathe again, albeit strangely.

_Ve~! Ludwig, you're so pretty as one of us! Come on, you've got to meet my grande fratello! _Feliciano smiled at Ludwig, first giving him a quick lesson on how to swim like this before he grabbed the German merman's hand and began to pull him toward the tide pools.

**Meanwhile…**

"Francis, there's no way in hell I'm using this! I'm not a girl!" Arthur tried to get Francis to take the stupid pregnancy test back, but the French merman narrowed his eyes insistently.

"Arthur, just use it! I used one!" Francis crossed his arms over his chest, no hints of dishonesty in his eyes as Arthur's own emeralds practically popped from his head.

"And…what was the result?" Arthur asked timidly, afraid of the answer, but wanting to know anyway, just in case luck was on his side. If it was, and Francis said he wasn't pregnant, then he could use that as an excuse to not have to use the pregnancy test himself.

Francis patted his stomach once more and smiled proudly. _"Je vais bientot etre la mere de l'enfant de Matthieu." _

Now, Arthur didn't know much French, but he was smart enough to know that Francis had pretty much just said that he was pregnant. His face fell, but he had to admit that he was happy for Francis. The Frenchman, no matter how annoying he was, deserved a family, especially with someone as kind and gentle as Matthew.

"Well, I'm very…happy for you, Francis, but just because _you're_ pregnant doesn't mean _I'm_ pregnant!" Arthur crossed his arms and turned his back to Francis, which—in the end—turned out to be a bad idea, because Francis grabbed him and shoved him into the bathroom, tossing the pregnancy test in after him.

"Just use it!" Francis shouted. "Because if you don't, I'm locking you in here until you do. And if you flush it down the toilet, I'll go buy more." Francis leaned against the door and smirked as Arthur punched it multiple times, but he still refused to let Arthur out.

Arthur sighed and glanced down at the pregnancy test. He crinkled his nose in disgust and muttered under his breath, "I might as well get this over with…"

**About fifteen minutes later…**

Arthur leaned against the door, pregnancy test in hand. He put his face in his hand and shuddered, feeling tears come to his eyes. As he sobbed quietly, he heard Francis knock on the door.

"Arthur? _Mon ami_, are you all right? What is the result?" Francis sounded worried, and he tugged on the doorknob, but Arthur had locked it from the inside.

Arthur took a deep breath, standing up shakily and slowly. He unlocked the door and stared up at Francis, who saw Arthur's tears and reached out to console him, wrapping his arms gently around the Brit.

"Ah, I understand… I'm sorry, Arthur," Francis said, rubbing Arthur's back.

Arthur pulled back and smiled, wiping tears from his eyes. "What do you have to be sorry about, Francis? What does anybody have to be sorry about?"

Francis stared at Arthur, his brows furrowing in confusion. "I don't understand…"

Arthur held up the test, which had a little pink plus sign on it. "I believe I am carrying Alfred's child."

**Meanwhile…**

"Feliciano, who is this?" Antonio asked as he and Lovino swam up to the Italian and his German boyfriend.

"This is Ludwig, my mate!" Feliciano smiled up at the blushing blonde and kissed his cheek. "He's come to eat dinner with us!"

The merfolk broke out in whispers, and Lovino—being the overprotective older brother that he was—took an immediate disliking to his new brother-in-law. He huffed out a breath of annoyance and pulled his hand away from Antonio's to grab Ludwig's shoulders as he growled, "Hurt my baby brother, and I feed you to the sharks." With that being said, he pulled Antonio away, toward where he, Antonio, and Feliciano usually sat to eat.

Ludwig watched them go, glancing around awkwardly. Some of the merfolk were looking at him welcomingly, smiles on their faces, and their postures relaxed; but others were looking at him like he was some foul, diseased creature that had floated into their area and deserved to be eaten by the sharks everyone kept mentioning. Probably the one that looked the most threatening was a red-haired, green-eyed merman with a blue-green tail. From atop his tall rock—somewhat like a throne—he crossed his arms and glared down at Ludwig. He didn't need to say anything, because his gaze said it all.

_You are human. You don't belong here._

"Just ignore them, Luddy," Feliciano said as Gaul swam up with Berwald and Ivan, abalone plates of squirming fish in their hands.

"Ve~! Trout!" Feliciano lifted one of the trout to his mouth and bit into it, taking a mouthful of raw fish away and chewing gratefully. "Not as good as pasta, but it'll do." He smiled and held out one of the trout to Ludwig as Lovino and Antonio took their own trout, and the other mermen moved on to the next group.

Ludwig stared down at the dying fish in his hand. His stomach growled as the terrible, salty scent of fish wafted up to his nostrils. Though his mind was shrinking back in disgust, his body was making his slightly sharp teeth click together in anticipation, and his stomach growled louder. The fish in his hands had pretty much stopped moving, and was now staring up at him blank, death-glazed eyes. Its mouth was agape, making it look as if it had a permanent face of shock.

"Well, when in Rome…" Closing his eyes, Ludwig brought the fish to his mouth and bit down, wincing as his teeth sank through the fish's body like it was made of butter. He pulled the chunk of fish away and chewed slowly, eyes still closed as he tried not to think too much about the flavor. Unfortunately, though, he couldn't help it when a piece of fish would roll over his tongue as he chewed.

Actually, it didn't taste that bad. It was salty, of course, and moist, but the taste sort of reminded him of sushi, and he chewed a bit more comfortably now, swallowing to soothe his angry stomach. As he leaned forward for his next bite, another merman swam up to the group.

His hair was shirt and platinum, and he had skin as pale as the full moon. His eyes were a devious blood-red, and his pearly teeth were just a little sharper than everyone else's. His tail was black with a faint silvery shine to the scales when hit by light. He hopped up next to Ludwig and smiled at him.

"Can I help you?" Ludwig asked, studying the platinum-haired merman. There was something faintly familiar about him…

"This is gonna sound odd, but is your father's name Emory Beilschmidt?" Gilbert asked, snatching a small trout from the plate and popping it into his mouth quickly.

"Yes… How did you know that?"

Gilbert smirked. This was going to be fun explaining.

**Meanwhile…**

Francis and Arthur stared at each other for a long moment before turning their eyes back to the positive pregnancy test. The plus sign stared back at them.

"I can't believe this," Arthur whispered, putting the pregnancy test on the counter with a tissue. "I mean… Alfred will be so happy. We can have a family now. I… Francis, I don't think I've ever been this happy!"

Arthur threw himself at Francis, hugging the Frenchman tightly. Normally, he would've been disgusted by the idea of hugging Francis for reasons other than those of comfort, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. He was carrying his darling Alfred's child in him, a child that was created purely by Alfred and himself.

As Francis laughed and patted Arthur's back, the Briton pictured in his mind a baby boy that looked just like Alfred, nestled safely in his arms. The baby boy had Alfred's sea-blue eyes, his moon-bright smile, and his feather-soft hair, and his laugh was just as loud and happy as Alfred's. It was basically like picturing a mini-Alfred in his arms, and he couldn't've been happier if somebody had just told him he was the long-lost son of Poseidon himself.

"Wait, does Matthew know you're pregnant?" Arthur asked, pulling back as he remembered what Francis had told him earlier.

Francis looked away, sheepish. "I was going to tell him tonight after giving him the roses, but since this had to be taken care of, I don't think I'll get the chance to; at least not tonight, anyway."

"Well, we still have about fifteen minutes before we have to bolt for the beach, so go and tell him!" Arthur quickly shoved Francis downstairs. "I'll be waiting on the porch!"

Francis watched Arthur slam the front door behind him before he turned to the confused Canadian.

"Uh… What's going on?" Matthew asked as Francis smiled fondly at him, leaning over to kiss him. He let the merman kiss him, but he repeated his question as Francis pulled away.

"I believe Arthur and I are pregnant," Francis said softly, tears of pride filling his own eyes. He took Matthew's hand and kissed the back of it, smiling at his shocked lover. _"Je t'aime." _

Matthew glanced down at Francis' stomach, though there was no bump yet, and then back at Francis' face before he smiled and clung to Francis, sobbing happily into Francis' shirt.

"Arthur's pregnant, too?" he asked as he pulled away, feeling happy for his brother now as well. He wiped his eyes so he could see Francis' face better and smiled.

"_Oui_, he is. We have to go back to the sea now and get Calder so we can use another pregnancy test to prove it, all right? Feel free to throw the other one away; we'll be right back." Francis kissed Matthew's forehead before running out the door with Arthur, back to the sea to get Arthur's good-for-nothing brother.

**At the tide pools…**

"_What da ya mean, ya got proof?"_ Calder thundered, glaring down at his brother and Francis. He took slow, deep breaths as he tried to calm himself, but it was useless. The only thing he could think about at the moment was ripping Francis and Arthur apart with his bare hands.

The merfolk fell silent, even the most talkative ones, like Feliks, Feliciano, Antonio, and Gilbert. (Gilbert was only talking so much because he was busy catching up with his younger half brother.) Everyone turned their eyes on Calder, Arthur, and Francis; nobody dared to utter even a sound as Calder made his way over to Arthur, gripping his brother's shoulders harshly, sure to leave bruises.

"What 'proof' da ya have, wee brother?" Calder snarled, staring angrily into his brother's eyes. He expected Arthur to quiver in fear and back away like he always did, but instead, Arthur stayed there, enduring his brother's fiery gaze. A part of Calder was secretly proud of Arthur's determined gaze, proud that Arthur got a backbone, but over something like this? That just took away some of the pride.

Arthur glanced around, making sure he had everybody's attention—he did—and then said, loudly and clearly, "I'm pregnant!" He smirked as his brother's eyes widened in shock as he reared back a little.

However, Calder then regained his composure by grabbing Arthur again and returning his glare. "That ain't possible! Ya lyin'!" His grip tightened, and Arthur winced, but didn't dare shrink away. Arthur was going to stand his ground, not only for himself and Alfred, but for the life he now carried inside him.

"Really? Then come with me to shore, and I'll prove it again." Arthur stared up into his brother's eyes, refusing to back down.

Calder grit his teeth, but snarled and pulled away. "Fine! We'll go ta shore and ya can show me!"

The merfolk broke out in even more whispers than when Ludwig had arrived. Some where whispering about how it seemed possible, if Arthur spoke the truth, that a merman could be pregnant, and others—like Lovino and Antonio, or Tino and Berwald, or Ludwig and Feliciano—were talking about having children of their own.

**Later…**

Calder, Francis, and Matthew were waiting outside the downstairs bathroom in Alfred's house, and Alfred himself was due home in about twenty minutes. Matthew waited eagerly for the second results, while Francis leaned against the couch in a relaxed way, and Calder leaned against the wall, growling under his breath.

A moment later, Arthur appeared, arrogant and expectant, as he held up the pregnancy test to Calder. Just like last time, there was a little pink plus sign as a result. Arthur was still pregnant.

"Read it and weep, Calder, you annoying, good-for-nothing, cruel-hearted wanker!" Arthur smirked and waved the pregnancy test in front of his brother's face.

Calder growled under his breath, but looked at the test, then at Arthur. There were legends—though they'd never been proven until now—among their kind that stated that the only way a male human or another merman could impregnate a merman was if both parties wanted it. If Arthur hadn't wanted it, hadn't loved Alfred with all that he was, there was no way that he could be pregnant. But since Arthur loved Alfred and wanted to carry his child, Arthur was pregnant. And that was the proof that Calder had sent him out to get.

Calder sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. His brother did truly love Alfred, and he had been a jackass to keep him away from Alfred. "Ya really do love 'im, don't ya?"

Arthur nodded firmly, still holding the positive test. "Yes, Calder, I do. I love him as much as you love Belinda and your children. I want to be with him Calder, so please...don't make me stay away anymore; I can't take it." Arthur's gloating look fell away, replaced by a pleading one.

Calder gave in. Not only was he unwilling to put up with his brother's constant pleading if he didn't give him his way, but he also didn't want Arthur to be depressed for the rest of his life. (And he wanted his niece or nephew to have a father, as well as a mother—if that's what Arthur was to the coming baby.) "Very well," he muttered, much to Arthur's pure happiness. "Ya can see Alfred again. But I got a condition fer ya!" Calder's eyes turned stern as he placed his hands on his hips. "Every month, when the moon is full, yer other brothers, meself, and Mum will be waitin' in the tide pools. Ya got ta bring Alfred and the kid out to us so we can all have a nice family swim, ya got it?"

"What about the others' mates and children?" Arthur asked, technically agreeing. "Will they be there as well?"

"Aye. Now throw that thing away, it's startin' ta get on me nerves!" He pointed to the pregnancy test and shuddered before strolling into the kitchen. "And what kinda food da ya got in this 'ere house?"

Matthew sighed in relief and followed Calder into the kitchen to start cooking dinner.

"Arthur, I'm so happy for you," Francis said, watching Arthur throw the pregnancy test out. He followed Arthur outside as the merman to the trash out, continuing to speak to him. "So, are you going to tell Alfred when he gets home?" Francis smirked. "It can be something like this:

'Arthur, I'm home!'

'Oh, Alfred, I missed you so much! Dinner's almost ready and the dog's outback. By the way, I'm pregnant with your child.'" Francis smirked. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Go away now, frog. You helped, and now you're not needed here. And I'll tell Alfred when I'm good and ready to tell Alfred." Arthur tried to wave him away, but the French merman laughed and clapped a hand onto Arthur's back.

He winked at Arthur and sauntered toward the kitchen. "You remember that!"

"Matthew, you should go to China for a few weeks!" Arthur called as he walked into the kitchen, causing Calder to laugh.

**About ten minutes later…**

"Mattie, I'm home!" Alfred called as he walked into the house, tossing his messenger bag on the couch. The smell of pancakes and maple bacon reached him, and he sniffed the air happily and smiled. "Mmm, that smells good, Mattie! You sure know how to cheer me up!" Alfred stepped into the kitchen, rubbing his stomach, only to realize that it wasn't just him and Matthew in the kitchen at the moment.

"Arthur, Calder didn't kill you!" Alfred cried, seeing his boyfriend sitting on the island counter. He ran over to Arthur and tried to throw his arms around him, only to stop him when he noticed Calder—who was giving him a stern look—sitting next to him. He glared at Calder, who just smirked and shrugged.

"Welcome ta the family," Calder said in the politest voice he could manage at the moment, holding out a hand to the American.

Alfred glanced warily down at Calder's hand, but shook it slowly and hesitantly, as if he were waiting to be shocked by a surprise joy buzzer. "Thanks, I guess," he said as he let go of Calder's hand. He turned his body back to Arthur, but kept suspicious eyes on Calder, just in case.

"Hello, love," Arthur said lovingly, wrapping his arms securely around Alfred. He didn't kiss him immediately, instead taking in his scent of hamburgers, Tide, and pure Alfred-ness. Then he lifted his head and locked his mouth with Alfred's, kissing him like he was going to die any second, and this was his last goodbye.

As they pulled away from each other, Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist and pressed his forehead against the merman's, smiling gently at him. "I missed you," he whispered, squeezing his body. "So, what does this mean, exactly? You know, with you, Francis, and Calder all being here?"

"Perhaps this may clear things up," Matthew said, handing Alfred the letter Arthur had written earlier. Alfred read it over and smiled, pulling Arthur close for another kiss, much to the disgust of Calder and Matthew.

"I love you, too," Alfred whispered, ignoring the polite grunts and throat clearings in the background. "So, what proof did you find?"

Arthur's eyes widened and he felt his heart beat faster. While it would've been easy to simply tell Alfred right then and there that he was pregnant, he found he couldn't do it, and nobody else was going to tell Alfred, he was sure of that. "Does it matter?"

Alfred looked confused for a second, but shrugged it off and continued to cuddle with Arthur. "I guess not, so long as Calder's okay with us being together."

Arthur nodded jerkily and quickly kissed Alfred before he could notice. Later, when he and Alfred were laying in Alfred's bed, he put his own hand on his stomach and patted it.

_We'll tell him later, _Arthur thought, cuddling close to the human and falling into peaceful slumber.

**A/N: Okay, a couple things to mention so PAY ATTENTION:**

**1. There will be maybe one or two more chapters in this story**

**2. There is going to be a sequel, I just have to figure out what to call it. Any suggestions?**

**3. I just have to say this part: MERBABIES!**

**Okay, what Francis said earlier:**

**"I believe I will soon be the mother of Matthew's child."**

**I wrote mother because technically speaking, the true mother of a child is the woman-or, in this case, merman-who carried the child around in the womb for nine months until its birth. So, I guess Francis and Arthur are technically moms. Sorry if this seems rushed.**

**I think that's all I have to say, so goodbye!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the idea.**

Chapter 19

It was the annual Fourth of July celebration on Salvation, and usually, the college kids and the high school graduates celebrated by having a huge bonfire and barbeque on Lily Road Beach. They also set off fireworks as well, but only in the darkest part of the night. (There was so much heat and fire that the fire department had to stand close by sometimes.)

Arthur lay curled up on the beach, his head on Alfred's chest. It had been about a week since he had been allowed to see Alfred again, and though he was very happy with his lover, there was still one little problem: Alfred still didn't know Arthur was pregnant. He just didn't have the courage to tell Alfred, because he was afraid that maybe Alfred would be horrified by the idea of Arthur being able to somehow conceive a child.

_But Francis told Matthew,_ he thought, glancing over at the couple, who sat close to the fire, kissing and snuggling, Matthew's hand resting on Francis' stomach. Even though Matthew had a beer in his hand, he'd refused to allow Francis to have any of the wine coolers there, and Arthur had rejected any offer of alcohol, choosing to share a Coca-Cola with Alfred instead.

"So, what are we gonna do when the full moon comes around this month?" Alfred asked teasingly, running the tips of his fingers lightly up Arthur's spine, causing the pregnant merman to shiver delightfully.

"My brother wants us to meet him by the tide pools and swim together," he whispered, tracing a heart on Alfred's chest. "How does that sound, love?"

Alfred frowned. He still didn't like Calder all that much, and he always had to hold back from punching him in the face whenever he saw him. But he really didn't want to do anything that could jeopardize his relationship with Arthur, which included punching his oldest brother in the face.

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Mmm? What is it, darling?" Arthur raised his head and smiled at Alfred, showing that he was waiting.

"Is everyone in your family as crazy as Calder?" Alfred smiled when Arthur started laughing, glad he hadn't hit a nerve by asking that.

"Pretty much, love." Arthur leaned over and kissed Alfred slowly, placing his forehead on Alfred's when they separated. "But you'll get used to it. And my mother's not as crazy as my brothers, I assure you. I think it comes from my father's side of the family." He smiled as the speakers in the background began blasting Taylor Swift's "Love Story".

_We were both young when I first saw you _

_I close my eyes and the flashback starts_

_I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air_

_See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns_

_I see you make your way through the crowd _

_And say hello_

_Little did I know_

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles_

_And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet!"_

_And I was crying on the staircase_

_Begging you, "Please don't go!"_

_And I said_

"Why does it seem like this song…fits us?" Alfred asked as he ran his fingers through Arthur's soft, golden hair.

Arthur listened carefully to the love song, smiling as he heard the lyrics. "Maybe because my brother sounds a lot like this Juliet girl's father?"

Alfred laughed as the chorus rang out, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you're right!"

"_Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone_

_I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run_

_You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess_

_It's a love story, baby, just say yes."_

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you_

_We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew_

_So close your eyes_

_Escape this town for a little while_

'_Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter_

_And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet!"_

_But you were everything to me_

_I was begging you, "Please don't go!"_

_And I said_

"_Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone_

_I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run_

_You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess_

_It's a love story, baby, just say yes."_

_Romeo, save me, they try to tell me how to feel_

_This love is difficult, but it's real_

_Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess_

_It's a love story, baby, just say yes_

_Oh oh_

By this point, Alfred had begun to teasingly sing along in Arthur's ear, replacing a few words to make it sound like what they'd just gone through. (Such as replacing "daddy" with "brother", "Juliet" with "Arthur", "Romeo" with "Alfred", and "garden" with "beaches".) His prize was Arthur blushing furiously and burying his face in Alfred's chest.

_I got tired of waiting_

_Wondering if you were ever coming around_

_My faith in you was fading_

_When I met you on the outskirts of town_

_And I said_

"_Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone_

_I keep waiting for you, but you never come_

_Is this in my head? I don't know what to think."_

_He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring _

_And said_

"_Marry me, Juliet_

_You'll never have to be alone_

_I love you and that's all I really know_

_I talked to your dad_

_Go pick out a white dress_

_It's a love story, baby, just say yes."_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_

'_Cause we were both young when I first saw you_

"I love you," Arthur mumbled embarrassedly into Alfred's chest, causing the American to laugh.

"Love you, too," he said back, kissing the top of Arthur's head.

By the bonfire…

"Aw, I'll give humans this," Francis said as he finger-combed Matthew's hair slowly. "They sure know how to write love songs."

"Thanks—"

"But merfolk can write better love songs." Francis smirked and winked at Matthew, who glared playfully at him.

"You're lucky you're with child," Matthew muttered as he gently patted Francis' stomach.

Since both Francis and Arthur were only about two weeks pregnant, there was no bump to see—according to Matthew and Alfred's mother, Mrs. Jones-Williams, a bump usually didn't show up or be noticeable until you were about three months along. (However, both of the mermen had been experiencing a bit of morning sickness.) Mrs. Jones-Williams was unaware, though, that her grandchildren would not only be born from men, but supposedly-mythical mermen.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Francis had said dismissively, but Matthew still felt a bit guilty over lying to his parents about who was giving birth to their grandchildren.

As they snuggled closer, Francis waved to his brother and Calder over, smiling. When Arthur and Francis had returned to the tide pools with their news, everyone had been overjoyed and had spent all day congratulating them. There were also a few other mermen couples—Berwald and Tino, Lovino and Antonio, Ivan and Yao, and even Ludwig and Feliciano—that were now trying for children of their own.

"So, how are things with the others?" Matthew asked, trying to make polite conversation with his new brother-in-law. To be honest, Gaul frightened him a little, but he still wanted to be viewed by him as a good person for Francis to be with.

"Well, they're very happy for you two, and for Alfred and Arthur," Gaul said. "And I believe Elizabeta's inner turmoil is over."

"Really?" Francis looked up hopefully, smiling. "She finally chose somebody to be with? Who was it?"

"She chose Gilbert, though it broke Roderich's heart. I kind of feel bad for him, but Elizabeta's heart wanted what it wanted." Gaul gestured to Francis and Matthew. "Just like your heart, little brother, wanted what it wanted."

"I'm glad she's happy," Francis said as he brushed some sand off a shell and placed it on Matthew's head like a hat. "So now, I can be even happier!"

Matthew smiled and plucked the shell from his head. "Good."

**Meanwhile…**

"Ve~! I can't believe humans can set off so many lights and not be alarmed!" Feliciano looked over at the bonfire, smiling, his arms wrapped around one of Ludwig's own arms.

Ludwig, not having anything to say about that, simply nodded in agreement and watched the fire dance. After a minute of Feliciano continuing to ramble on about the pretty colors of the fire, he leaned over and kissed the Italian on the lips gently. Before the kiss could deepen, however, a hand slapped him on the back, causing him to lift his head with a scowl.

"Luddy, you're into PDA? I'm shocked!" Gilbert smirked at his half-brother as he and Elizabeta sat down beside the two. He put his arms around the Hungarian mermaid and kissed the top of her head before turning to his brother and the Italian. "You know," he continued conversationally, "neither of you ever told me what you think of Arthur and Francis' pregnancies."

Ludwig made a face that couldn't be discerned, while Feliciano smiled brightly.

"I think it's great!" Feli clapped his hands and laughed lightly. "_I bambini saranno cosi carino! _I can't wait to see them for the first time!" He sighed adorably and squirmed a little.

"And you, Ludwig?" Elizabeta asked.

"I just don't understand how something like that can happen," Ludwig said as he ran his fingers through the slicked-back blonde hair atop his head. "But I suppose that if Alfred and Matthew are happy with their lovers and their…coming children…then I can be happy for them, though it confuses me greatly."

**Later…**

"Ludwig, do you think we could have children?" Feliciano asked once Gilbert and Elizabeta had left. He'd asked it completely out of the blue, shocking Ludwig into a blushing, stuttering mess.

"Well, I sup— I mean, uh, we— Feliciano, I don't know…" Ludwig rubbed the back of his necks awkwardly and sighed. "If you really, _really_ want them, I suppose we could have children, but—"

"Ve~! Thanks, Luddy! I love you!" Feliciano threw his arms around Ludwig and kissed him happily, not caring who saw.

**Meanwhile…**

"Hey, Arthur?" Alfred glanced down at his lover, his blue eyes curious.

"What is it, love?" Arthur didn't raise his head from Alfred's chest, too busy writing words of affection into it with his fingers.

"We'll always be honest with each other, right? No secrets?"

Arthur tensed up immediately, his heart skipping several beats as his face flamed red with guilt and anxiety. He glanced nervously up at Alfred, who raised a confused eyebrow at him.

"O-Of course we will, darling!" Arthur laughed nervously and kissed Alfred's cheek. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Are you okay?" Alfred rubbed Arthur's back, trying to calm the merman down. "Do you need something to drink?"

Arthur shook his head and stood up, shaking a little. "I think I just need to take a quick walk, okay? How about you go sit over by the bonfire with Matthew and Francis, and I'll meet you over there when I'm done, all right, love?"

Before Alfred could say anything, Arthur vanished into the crowd of laughing, half-drunk people, too quickly for Alfred to follow. Frowning, Alfred stood up and walked over to his brother and his new brothers-in-law, determined to find out what was going.

"Hey, Mattie," he said sourly as he sat down beside them.

"Oh, hey, Al." Matthew looked over at his dejected brother, confused and a little wary. It was abnormal for Alfred to be in such a bad mood, and usually, it had something to do with Arthur.

"Are you all right, _mon frère Americain_?" Francis asked, putting a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Guys, is Arthur hiding something from me?" Alfred asked as he raised his head, his eyes demanding an answer now. "He's been acting a little weird lately. He's not…cheating on me, is he?" The seriousness fell away, replaced by sadness and horror.

Matthew sighed, sympathy filling him. He didn't want his brother to assume something like, and though he knew Arthur had told everyone not to breathe a word of his pregnancy to Alfred, he couldn't just sit there and let his brother assume the worst. So he tapped his brother's shoulder and leaned over to whisper quietly in his ear, ignoring the shocked expressions of the others as they realized what he was doing.

"Al, Arthur's not cheating on you," Matthew whispered softly, hands cupped around his brother's ear. "And he's not going to leave you either. He's…uh… Al, Arthur's pregnant, just like Francis is." He leaned away as he felt Alfred tense up again, preparing for the worst.

Alfred's mouth hung agape and his eyes widened as his brain tried to process what Matthew had just told him.

"Arthur's pregnant?" he whispered in disbelief, the first firework of the night firing off in the background.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, I just wanted to end it here. ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! Yay! And then I start the sequel! Oh, and Feliciano and Ludwig won't have a baby until the sequel, just so everyone knows.**

**What Italy said:**

**"The babies will be so cute!"**

**What France said:**

**"my American brother?"**

**And honestly, I do think that—at least in this situation—"Love Story" fits America and Britain.**

**Happy Fourth of July fellow Americans! Happy Birthday, America! _*Goes off to comfort a sobbing Britain*_ It's okay, he still loves you...**

**Bye!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 20

Arthur made his way over to the bonfire, calmer than before now. His heart was beating out of control, and he could finally breathe again. He would admit, he'd come very close to telling Alfred the truth earlier, but now he was much more in-control, and wouldn't freak out if Alfred asked him the same question again.

_Thank Poseidon for that,_ he thought as he spotted Alfred, Matthew, Francis, Gaul, and Calder sitting together. He smiled as he sat beside Alfred, reaching over to intertwine their fingers. However, just as their fingers brushed, Alfred jerked his hands away and stared into the fire, refusing to meet Arthur's confused green eyes.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" he whispered, trying not to pull the other four from their group conversation. "Are you okay?"

"Are _you_?" Alfred fired back just as quietly, shooting Arthur a glare that could make hell freeze over. He folded his arms over his chest and waited for the shocked merman to reply.

Arthur blinked and reared back a little, hurt and confused. Why was Alfred suddenly acting like he never wanted to speak to Arthur again? He loved Arthur, didn't he?

_It must be the fact that I freaked out and ran away earlier,_ he thought understandingly, smiling. _Honestly, Alfred can be such a Drama King sometimes._

"Oh, love, I'm sorry I ran out on you earlier," he cooed, stroking Alfred's shoulder. "You just surprised me, is all. No one's ever asked me a question like that before."

"I only asked you if _we'd_ always be honest with _each_ _other_," Alfred reminded him bitterly, still glaring. "But evidently, _you_ can't be honest with _me_."

Arthur froze up, anxious again. What could Alfred possibly be talking about? He didn't know about Arthur's pregnancy yet, did he? In order to spare himself from looking like a fool, Arthur glanced over at Matthew, Francis, Calder, and Gaul, who all gave him the same look of guilt, though Matthew's was the worst of all.

"I don't—" But Arthur was cut off.

"How could you not tell me you were pregnant, Arthur? And you've known for two weeks!" Alfred's eyes held hurt and anger. His voice made it sound like he'd just been betrayed by someone unbearably close to him.

"Alfred, I was afraid you'd hate me," Arthur whispered, feeling tears tickle his eyes. "Let me finish," he said when he saw that Alfred was about to interrupt. "I was afraid that you'd be freaked out by the concept of me being pregnant. I know you were okay with it when you found out about Francis, but he's not _your_ mate, he's _Matthew's_. I didn't want you to be scared of me."

Alfred sighed and pulled Arthur into his arms. "I'm still kinda mad at you," he said, stroking the Brit's hair. "But I guess I kinda understand. I love you, Artie, and the baby you're carrying. I can't wait to see him."

"Him?" Arthur stared up at Alfred in teasing shock. "How do you know it's a boy? I bet it's a beautiful baby girl." However, in truth, Arthur hoped it was a boy as well, and he hoped that when he was born, he'd look just like a mini-Alfred, with no interference from his family.

"If it's a girl, that's even better!" Alfred laughed and kissed Arthur's forehead, rubbing small circles on his stomach. "She'll be such a Daddy's girl, and I'll spoil her rotten every day!"

"Are you serious?" Arthur never could really tell when the human was joking about something that silly…

"Of course not! She'll be my little girl, and my little girl will deserve the best!" Alfred flashed a thumbs-up and smiled blindingly. "After all, what kind of a hero would I be if I couldn't give my daughter everything she'd ever want? She can even be my little sidekick! I'll be Batman, and she can be Batgirl!"

"Then what does that make me?" Arthur asked suspiciously.

Alfred grinned devilishly all of a sudden. "You're the sexy villain, like Catwoman, or Poison Ivy."

"_I beg your pardon?"_ Arthur snapped, glaring at Alfred, who simply fell back in the sand and laughed.

**A few days later…**

Arthur loved the attention he was receiving from Alfred. The American human now spent more time with him than ever! He woke up when Arthur did, he ate when Arthur did, he dressed when Arthur dressed, he bathed with Arthur—though Alfred had refused to have sex with him while doing so, saying something about how having sex could possibly damage the baby; Arthur had simply protested by saying that the baby was probably the size of a sea monkey or krill at the moment, but Alfred still refused—and he went to sleep when Arthur did.

At the moment, Arthur sat on the couch in the living room, Alfred feeding him grapes like he was some Ancient Egyptian queen or something.

"So, what do you think it's going to be?" Alfred asked as he popped another grape into Arthur's mouth.

Arthur glanced at his stomach fondly. "Well…I hope it's a boy. A sweet, round-cheeked baby boy. And I hope he looks just like you, Alfred, with absolutely no interference from me."

Alfred blushed, but his eyes were confused. "Why do you want him to look just like me? Why do you even want it to be a boy?"

Arthur took Alfred's palm and pressed it to his cheek. "I want him to look like you, love, because you're the most beautiful person in the world to me. And I want a boy because he wouldn't be just like you if he came out as a girl, now would he?" He kissed Alfred's palm and gave him his hand back.

"What if he does turn out to be a girl? What then?" Alfred dropped another grape into Arthur's mouth as he curiously spoke.

"Then I will accept that, and she would still be very beautiful," Arthur said, absentmindedly stroking his stomach. "But still, I'd much rather it be a boy than a girl. But, in all honesty, either is fine with me. I'm just glad we get to have a child of our own." He sighed dreamily as he chewed on the latest grape Alfred fed him.

"You know, Mattie told me that he and Francis want girls," Alfred said conversationally, eating a grape himself.

Arthur snorted, smiling, and rolled his eyes. "Can't say that doesn't surprise me; of course Francis wants a girl! That way, he and his brother can treat her like their own little dress-up doll. Poor girl…"

"Nah, Mattie wouldn't let them do that." Alfred smirked. "Although, you're kinda right, Francis would spoil her rotten, and what kind of uncle would I be if I didn't too? Mattie would try to teach her to be nice and respectful, just like him."

At that moment the phone rang, and Alfred handed Arthur the bowl of grapes to get it. "Hey, Mom," he said with a smile after looking at the caller ID. "No, I can talk. I was just feeding my friend Arthur some grapes." There was a pause, and Arthur watched curiously as Alfred's eyes gained a gleam fear. "Oh, really? You guys are coming to Salvation? When?" Both Alfred and Arthur felt their hearts plummet into their stomachs when they heard the answer. "Halloween? Really? O-Okay! No, that's not a bad time! I got to go, Mom, I got some hamburgers on the grill. See ya!" Alfred hung up the phone with a terrified expression.

"Alfred, calm down!" Arthur put the grapes on the table and caught his lover's hand with his own, holding it to his heart. "Just take a deep breath, love, and tell me why you look so bloody scared!"

Alfred did as told and looked down at Arthur. "Arthur, you technically got pregnant in June, right?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes, love, that's right. Why's that so bad?"

"Because if you got pregnant in June, then that means that you—and Francis—should be showing by August or September, maybe October! There's _no_ _way_ my parents are going to _not_ _notice_ two pregnant dudes running around!"

Arthur's eyes widened in horror as well, realizing that Alfred was right! "Bloody hell… Damn it, why didn't I realize that sooner! You're parents are going to want to meet the _women_ carrying their grandchildren! We've got to warn Matthew and Francis!"

"Warn us about what?" Matthew asked as he and Francis walked in, grocery bags in their arms. "Did you two break something, or piss someone off?"

Both shook their heads as they quickly locked the front door and ushered Matthew and Francis into the kitchen to not only tell them about the conversation, but to help put the groceries away too.

"Wait, so Francis and Arthur will be showing when Mom and Dad get here?" Matthew nearly dropped the loaf of bread he was holding.

Alfred nodded as he shoved a gallon of milk into the fridge. "What are we gonna do?" He glanced at the two mermen, who were trying not to visibly shake as they put away canned goods.

Matthew thought for a moment, playing with a bag of bananas anxiously. "Uh… Okay! I think I know what we can do! We can just tell Mom and Dad that Arthur and Francis are our fat friends!"

A can of peaches and a can of cranberry sauce tumbled to the ground as the mermen turned to glare viciously at their lovers.

"_Excusez-moi? _I am not fat, and the only reason I ever _will_ _be_ is because _your_ child is growing inside me! So it'll be _your_ fault, _Matthieu_!" Francis turned back to angrily filling the cupboards with food, muttering angrily under his breath.

While Francis had been yelling that, Arthur had been yelling, "You bloody wanker! How _dare_ you tell your _own_ _parents_ that I'm _fat_, when really, the baby I give birth to will just eat as many gross hamburgers as you! If anything, it'll be the _baby_ putting on weight, not me! You vile, idiotic, maddening American!" With that, he rejoined Francis in refilling the cupboards.

Matthew and Alfred glanced at each other uneasily, but deep inside, they knew just as much as Arthur and Francis did that it was pretty much the only option they had…other than telling the truth. But the truth might put their parents in a hospital, or them in a mental hospital, so…

**That night…**

"Artie, it's the only option we have!" Alfred begged as he turned over in the bed to stare at Arthur's pale, smooth back.

"That's not true, git!" Arthur insisted as he turned over to face Alfred, glaring at him. "We could—oh, I don't know—tell them the truth!"

"Artie, can you imagine how that would sound to my human parents? I mean, they have nothing against gay or bisexual people, but it'd still sound freaky as hell to them!

'_Oh, by the way, Francis and Arthur are our pregnant boyfriends. They're also mermen. So, you were saying about your trip to Napa?'_

Yeah, they won't kill over dead, or send Mattie and I to a mental hospital for saying that!" Alfred sighed irritably and ran his hand through his sandy-blonde hair.

Arthur listened, feeling a little bad for Alfred. Yes, it was true, his parents would probably think he and Matthew were crazy if they said something like that, but if they could prove it by showing their parents any ultrasounds that could be taken at the time…

"I suppose I understand where you're coming from," he said softly, his face softening begrudgingly. "But we can't go through our lives lying to your parents, Alfred. We'll eventually have to tell them."

"What about your mom?" Alfred demanded, remembering Arthur's widowed mermaid mother. "Won't she be freaked out?"

"No, she won't." Arthur shook his head. "Merfolk have a lot of legends about pregnant men and such. We mostly worship the Ancient Greek gods, and tell our children Greek myths as bedtime stories, so she'd probably understand."

Alfred was momentarily sidetracked. "What does male pregnancy have to do with Greek mythology?"

Arthur smiled and scooted closer to his lover. "Do you know the story of how Dionysus, God of Wine and Revelry, was born?" When Alfred shook his head, an interested gleam in his eyes, Arthur continued to speak, clearing his throat.

"Dionysus was believed to be the youngest of the Twelve Great Olympian Gods; the others were Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Hermes, Poseidon—the main god merfolk worship—Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Ares, and Hephaestus. Demeter's daughter, Persephone, was most always portrayed as sitting on her mother's lap, and Hestia usually tended to the glowing fire in the middle of the Great Hall. The twelve main Olympians all sat on great golden thrones, created by Hephaestus himself. Hades, the God of the Dead, preferred to stay in his dark palace underground, and rarely came to Olympus.

Anyway, Zeus loved his queen, Hera, dearly, but he also loved many of the beautiful mortal women in Greece at the time. One of them was an enchanting princess named Semele. Now, Hera was a very jealous woman, and the fury of her wrath could even strike fear into the heart of Zeus! She hated all of Zeus' other 'wives', and each one suffered her terrible wrath in their own way.

In Semele's case, it went like this:

When Zeus was away from Semele one day, Hera disguised herself as an old lady and visited the princess. As they talked, Hera pretending to be very friendly, the disguised goddess asked who Semele's husband was.

'Why, he's no more than strong and powerful Zeus!' Semele had boasted proudly, smiling.

'But how can you be so sure about that?' Hera had asked. 'I know many men who claim to be the King of the Gods. Do you have proof, child? If not, I'd ask him the next time you see him.' And with her plan in action, Hera left the girl to her thoughts.

When Zeus finally returned, Semele asked him to grant her a wish. Zeus agreed, swearing by the river Styx to fulfill her wish, no matter what it be.

'Then show me your true form,' Semele had demanded. 'Show me that you're really the King of the Gods; that you're really Zeus!'

Zeus begged her to change her wish, for no mortal could withstand the true form of a god, but Semele had her heart set on it. And because he had sworn by the river Styx, which was the most solemn oath a god could make, he had to do it. So he joined together the smallest thunder clouds he could find and revealed himself to Semele.

She died almost immediately, bursting into flames from how brightly he shone in his glory. Sadly, Zeus could do nothing to save her, but he did manage to save her unborn son by him. He then sewed the baby under the skin of his leg and kept him there until he was ready to be born.

When he was, he sprang forth as the incredible god Dionysus, God of Wine and Revelry." Arthur took a deep breath, closing his eyes and remembering when his mother had first told him the story. "There's more, but I don't want to bore you." However, when he opened his eyes, Alfred was staring at him with complete and utter fascination and wonder.

"Bore me? That sounds so cool! Keep going!" Alfred eagerly snuggled closer to listen, his eyes gleaming hopefully.

"Um… All right, Alfred." Arthur shrugged and took another deep breath, clearing his throat again.

"Zeus, however, was aware that it was Hera who truly caused Semele to die, so he gave Dionysus to Hermes, telling the other god to hide the baby somewhere Hera wouldn't find him. Hermes agreed and fled to the valley of Nysa with the baby, leaving him with a band of maenads, the nymphs who ruled the valley. Dionysus grew up safe there, his playmates being tigers and leopards.

However, as Dionysus grew, large bunches of grapes began appearing on the hills of Nysa, and soon the god had figured out how to make delicious wine from their juice. Since he was young and beautiful, he dressed in fine robes of purple and red, and he went out to teach the world about winemaking. The maenads followed him, as did the animals he'd played with as a child, and everywhere he went, more followers joined him and more people worshipped him as the god that he was. Zeus couldn't have been more proud of him as he watched Dionysus travel from Greek island to Greek island, showing people how to make wine.

But one day, as Dionysus slept on a beach, a ship full of pirates sailed by. They noticed how nicely-dressed Dionysus was and brought him on their ship, thinking he was a prince they could hold for ransom. Dionysus was quite the heavy sleeper, however, and didn't awake until they were far out at sea. When he awoke, he tried to gently persuade them that he was not a prince, but Dionysus himself, and a son of Zeus. The pirates just laughed and sailed on, no longer paying attention to him.

As they did, however, strange things began to happen: vines full of fresh grapes sprung from the sea, and they twined around the ship's oars, wound up the mast, treating the ship as if it were an arbor. Deep-red wine trickled down the sail, the color of blood, and soon the air was filled with the roaring of big cats and the braying of donkeys. Dionysus himself grew to great size, filling the ship as he did. The pirates were horrified and jumped off the ship; but since Dionysus is a kind god, he didn't let them drown. Instead, he turned them into dolphins, and that it why merfolk believe that we can communicate with dolphins better than any other sea creature, because they were born directly from humans.

Anyway, because Dionysus had brought so much joy to mankind, Zeus decided that he deserved one of the golden Olympian thrones. When Dionysus arrived to claim his throne, Hera rose in anger, but Zeus simply pounded his fist on the handle of his own throne, causing her to sit back down in silence. However, there was a problem: there were only twelve thrones in the Great Hall, and another throne would take awhile to make. Hestia, being the very generous and kind goddess that she was, rose from her own throne, offering it to her new nephew.

'I need no throne,' she told the others when they asked if she was sure. 'My place is at the hearth.'

But Dionysus felt that, before he sat down, he wanted to see his mother, of whom he'd always longed to see. Zeus agreed, sending Hermes to the Underworld to get Semele, as since she was the mother of an official Olympian god, she'd be living on Olympus now. After the joyous reunion, Dionysus seated himself on the throne, and a great festival on Olympus rang out in his honor. The end."

Alfred yawned and pulled Arthur into his arms, kissing the sleepy merman's head. "That was a great story, Artie. You'll have to tell me more myths later, 'kay?"

Arthur nodded drearily, and with that, they both fell asleep, not caring about anything else in the world at the time. It could wait until later.

**A/N: AND THAT'S THE END OF THE FIRST ONE! YAY! Oh, and I don't think Batgirl was Batman's girlfriend either. I think she's suppose to be his cousin or something. Anyway, no, I didn't just paste and copy that myth from some website! My mom used to be a World History teacher, and she taught me almost everything there is to know about Greek myths, and I have a lot of books on them too. Those gods really are known as the Twelve Great Olympians**

**Zeus—Son of Cronus and Rhea, King of the Gods, Master of the Universe, and God of Thunder and Lightening**

**Hera—Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Queen of the Gods and Goddess of Wives, Women, and Marriage**

**Ares—Son of Zeus and Hera, and God of War and Bloodshed**

**Hephaestus—Son of Zeus and Hera, and God of Smiths and Fire**

**Artemis (One of my favorites)—Daughter of Zeus and Leto, and Goddess of the Hunt, Virgins, Animals, and Children**

**Athena (Another favorite)—Daughter of Zeus and Metis, and Goddess of Wisdom, War Strategy, and Crafts**

**Poseidon (Kinda favorite)—Son of Cronus and Rhea, and God of the Seas and Earthquakes**

**Apollo—Son of Zeus and Leto, and God of Light, Music, Arts, and Reason**

**Demeter—Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility**

**Hermes—Son of Zeus and Maia, and God of Shepherds, Merchants, Travelers, Thieves, and Messenger of the Gods**

**Aphrodite—Believed to have no mother or father, and Goddess of Passionate Love, Beauty, and Sex**

**Dionysus—Son of Zeus and Semele, and God of Wine and Revelry**

**Hestia—Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and Goddess of the Hearth and Home**

**Persephone—Daughter of Demeter and (possibly) Zeus, Queen of the Underworld, and Goddess of Springtime and Summertime**

**Hades—Son of Cronus and Rhea, and God/King of the Underworld, and God of Treasure and Money**

**Don't worry, there will be another one up soon! Sorry if I bored you with that story!**

**Goodbye for now!**


End file.
